


Always

by Hotaru_Mizuno



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Background Relationships, Demons, F/M, Faeries - Freeform, Falling In Love, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Prince America, Random OCs everywhere, Sexual Tension, Smut, Villains, Warlock England
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2020-05-31 15:14:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19428583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hotaru_Mizuno/pseuds/Hotaru_Mizuno
Summary: Arthur is a lonely warlock who is notoriously known for terrorizing his home kingdom and kidnapping the prized princess. What most do not know is that Arthur doesn't want the princess, he only wants to see the man he had fallen in love with, the heroic Prince Alfred who always comes to rescue the princess.





	1. Longing

**Author's Note:**

> This came from a Tumblr prompt I found. The summary was an evil villain kidnaps a princess numerous times, but he only does it because its the only way he gets to see his or her true love, the prince who always comes to save her. It came from @writing-prompt-s on Tumblr.
> 
> Medieval and fantasy are a genre I have a very passionate fondness for. I grew up loving the stuff. I love Warlock England and the thought of this story made me excited. I put off writing this until after I finished Emerald Rose, that way I can give this one full focus. 
> 
> Warnings. Angst and smut. Quite a bit of it. Lots of depressing thoughts. This may or may not be suited for people with mental stability issues. Be warned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11/28/19  
> This fic is being rewritten. As I write the last few chapters, I also went back and changed whatever I didn't like and what was rushed in the first three chapters. Lots have changed now, some of these are now twice as long.
> 
> Yes, I know it's been months since I last updated this, believe me, I'm sorry. Really sorry. Yell and fangirl at me all you want, invade my discord, whatever. However, if you do forget your manners, please don't get angry once I boot you from my server. 
> 
> Enjoy. ^^

The prince was late this time.

This was at the very least helpful in the notion Arthur knew his extra reinforcements were working when it came to keeping Prince Alfred occupied for as long as possible. That was the plan after all.

His plan was to keep the prince there as long as possible, keep his true love there as long as possible before he inevitably reached the princess and rescued her, leaving once again. Because in reality, Alfred would never stick around in a villainous lair. He looked upon Arthur as a demon who needed to be slain, an evil needing to be vanquished. And he himself, the heroic prince was the one "destined" to carry out that mission.

The very thought disgusted Arthur. How he had come to fall in love with someone so out of his reach, he had no idea. At first, he had kidnapped Princess Amelia entirely on purpose. He had a real reason. The princess was about to be offered for an arranged marriage to bring two kingdoms into an alliance. That would ultimately make his plans for a future empire much harder to carry out. Not to mention both kingdoms were powerful and a unity being formed would make them quite the formidable foe. They would surely try to storm his territory and try to "slay" him. He couldn't have that.

But then he met the prince who came to save her.

Prince Alfred, descendent of the Great King of the Ages, and some other titles that ultimately mean nothing but to tell those who were less heroic how insignificant the authorities thought they were. He had been the one sent to save the princess and vanquish the evil spirit who had kidnapped such a pure maiden. For the first time in years, Arthur had been smitten. For the first time, Arthur had lost a battle.

He hadn't known what had happened to him. He had laid in his bed for hours, trying to comprehend how he felt. No, he had not been swooning, he most certainly did not feel his heart jump when he saw Alfred move so attractively as he defeated evil monster after evil monster, determined to be the hero of the land. His bright blue eyes that sparkled with the full magnitude of the sea, that gorgeous face lined with perfect tanned skin. It wasn't his fault that he ended up losing against a mere mortal! No one had been foolish enough to try and confront him before, he was simply a little out of practice!

Arthur had to prove it to himself. The prince was nothing but a flashy example of what he hated about humanity. There was no way he would be so foolish to fall in love with someone who wouldn't love him back, who would never see him as anything more than a megalomaniac one-dimensional greedy villain.

So he had kidnapped the princess again, for no reason at all except proving to himself that he had no more love to give to such insignificant people, that Alfred meant nothing to him.

But he had been wrong.

Alfred came back to save Princess Amelia. Twice. Three times. Four times. Seven times. Twelve times. Twenty times. Every single time, Arthur couldn't help but enjoy the usual hero and villain banter, the way Alfred would smile or smirk when he defeated an evil henchman or demon, or slays any small monsters. The way Alfred looked when he fought, the way he looked when Arthur made a snide remark that caused Alfred to fluster, and come back with a remark. It all made his stomach twist, his mind demand embarrassing thoughts. He now knew he was doomed.

Unfortunately, his admiration had no future. Alfred would never return such feelings. The prince was always there to save the princess, never for him. He was just an obstacle, a villain. To be honest, the prince probably furthered his own stereotype and had fallen in love with the princess, like always. He should've known better than to fall in love like that. What a stupid thing to do. Alfred would just leave him like everyone else always did. He had nothing that could ever make Alfred stay. Nothing.

So, Arthur kidnapped the princess whenever he could. He troubled and plagued the kingdom of which Alfred had sworn to protect even when it had almost no benefit to his cause. It was the only way Alfred would ever come anywhere near him, the only way he could see who had become his most begrudgingly true love. He started to make his enchantments and curses more difficult, more horrible. That way, it would take Alfred longer to get past them. He did whatever he could to make Alfred stay, because he knew once Alfred reached the chamber in which he kept the princess prisoner, he would leave.

There was a knock on his door, snapping him from his thoughts. Someone had requested entry into his main room, his study. Or perhaps it was his lair. If he were to be so plain to call it that. It was where he watched Alfred fight whatever spell or monster he had put to "prevent" him from saving the beloved princess. Of course, the challenges were never enough to kill or fatally wound Alfred. Only to challenge him or delay him. He could never kill or hurt Alfred like that. He wouldn't be so quick to lose someone again.

He took a glance at the enchanted mirror he kept on the wall. It was charmed with magic that allowed Arthur to see any room of his home from his study. It was the method he used to watch Alfred on his courageous "quests". Now, of course, Arthur never showed himself until the end, like a true witch hiding in the shadows. It was quite amusing too, and it made him feel like he was savoring every last minute he had with the gorgeous prince.

"Come in," Arthur said, realizing why he was being bothered. Alfred just reached the last chamber, the one where the Princess Amelia's cell was hidden.

"My Lord?" A small demon of only five feet in height poked his little head out of the door. He was a small thing Arthur had summoned in his early days of evil ambition, and he was meant to be no more than a servant, bound to him by a contract that promised him food whenever he wished it.

"Yes, what is it?" Arthur said distractedly, though he already knew why the demon was here. He felt that dreaded sinking feeling in his stomach mounting along with the excitement. It was time.

"The prince passed our barrier, Master." The demon said.

"Thank you. Call off all of the defenses, I'll deal with him."

"Out of interest, what do you plan to do? All of your past plans have failed."

 _Only because I let them fail_ , Arthur thought, but he wisely kept such thoughts to himself. "Let me worry about that, do as you're told." He ordered, a small scowl being sent his way as he waved his hand and dismissed the images displaying on his mirror. Honestly, sometimes fairies were just much better helpers. He imagined for a second slitting the small demon's throat. Well no, he had already gone through the trouble of summoning him. That would be a waste.

He stared at himself for a moment. Perhaps he did have audacity problems, but he didn't care. It gave the desired effect. A large black cloak, deep midnight-like black, held by a brooch shaped like a rose, flowers of which he had some fondness for. The purple and red clashed wildly with the blond and green. He knew what impression it gave; having such an impression always amused him. He didn't need a staff or book in order to use magic, he could do it with just by simply thinking it. He wasn't some kid, of course.

He looked intimidating, he commanded attention, and that was just the way he liked. Alfred, nor Amelia or any outsider had seen him without the makeup, and he kept it that way. The better he pulled the effect, the less weak he looked. The weaker he looked, the more vulnerable he was, and vulnerable was something he would never be ever again.

Despite common belief, he wasn't ruthless. He did like the thrill of death and rippling a life away, or even better, the screams begging for mercy as their blood pooled on the floor. But, he wasn't heartless. He treated most of his servants with kindness. Unless they disobeyed him of course, then he had no mercy. Loyalty wasn't earned out of fear after all, but if they did their purpose, then there was no point in unnecessary cruelty. It wasn't his fault evilness was the route he had left to take. He simply chose to enjoy what his cards of life had dealt him

Maybe that was the reason he fell in love with Alfred. The boy was innocent, brave, charismatic, and overall a kind and lovable person. He was never genuinely rude to Arthur, despite who he thought he was. Most of his jokes were playful and just proof he was enjoying himself. He never took his anger out on Arthur or directly blamed him for things that quite obviously were his fault.

Maybe it gave him hope. Gave him hope that his visions for a change in the way humanity worked were possible, that humans weren't all horrible like he had come to believe. It was stupid, but it was a possibility. Alfred was something he had never experienced from humanity. He was the first fellow human being to not immediately look at him with obvious disdain. He knew Alfred didn't hate him, he resented him but not didn't curse his existence simply because he existed. It made him think not everyone was horrible to him. It made him think maybe…..

And then he would remember why he couldn't have Alfred in the first place, and then he would force himself to not think about it before he hurts himself again like he always did.

_______________________

"Oliver!" Arthur postulated, dusting off his clothes as he did every time after teleportation. It was a habit of his that ultimately did nothing but fuel his audacity

To his surprise, his fae servant and the princess Amelia were currently in a game of chess. Arthur had to only guess that Oliver had obtained a chessboard from somewhere in the castle and offered to play. Oliver was quite attached to the princess, for some strange reason. He supposed that's what he got for sending the same servant every time to watch over the prisoner. Not much like Amelia was really a prisoner to him anymore anyway.

Amelia gave him one look and simply smirked. "Is my prince charming here to rescue me again?" She asked, her voice in an almost mocking tone as she said it. Arthur scowled at her. It was preposterous for one to think a prisoner was treated like a guest while in a villain's grasp, but Arthur did believe he once stated he wasn't heartless. It simply just couldn't be helped.

"Yes. Oliver, I need you to call off all of the defenses in the west wing. I've kept that prince here long enough. Besides, they won't keep the prince there quite that long anyway. Make sure they don't ruin the curtains again, Those were expensive and I don't want to have to make bloody replacements."

"Yes, my lord!" Oliver said cheerily. He was always much too happy for a servant of a warlock bent on world domination, let alone a faerie. The cheerfulness always reminded him of Alfred, and that made him positive and melancholy at the same time.

"Checkmate."

Oliver gave a pout and looked back at the chessboard. It seemed the princess had just cornered the black king with only two pieces left to her. "What? That's not fair, you little sugar lemon! How could you?"

Amelia only leaned over the table and smirked. She wasn't an average damsel in distress, and it came quite a surprise to the warlock. He had been once quite rude and sarcastic towards the princess, simply out of pure jealousy that she had a future with Alfred and he didn't, but he learned better. Such behavior was childish. She was also one of the only people who knew about his secret. It wouldn't do to make enemies out of someone who could blab to the whole world and steal Alfred away forever.

Amelia was something like an acquaintance. She had grown used to her frequent stays at the warlock's castle and didn't seem to be deterred by it anymore. She seemed to keep off the subject of Arthur's fears and feelings and simply made Arthur's job easier. He wouldn't be able to kidnap her so much if it wasn't for her. If only she could understand why his love for Alfred was a lost cause. Every time it was brought up, Amelia would just simply raise an eyebrow.

"Now, Oliver." Arthur simply ordered, folding his arms, now getting more than slightly annoyed. Oliver always got on his nerves like this. Bloody child.

"Alright, right on it master," Oliver said nonchalantly, scraping his chair on the floor as he got up. He giggled and turned to his master. "Can I give Prince Perfect a scare while I'm out? He's so easy to scare, it's priceless."

Arthur rolled his eyes. Faeries were such mischievous creatures. "Whatever. Don't use ghosts as a punchline, I don't want a body to clean up."

"Yes, sir!" He complied. After that was said, he was gone in a whirl of blue smoke.

"You should teach him how to play poker, then I can really kick his arse," Amelia said, smiling. Her baby blue eyes were stunning, not to mention those silky blonde locks and her perfect hourglass body. She was a truly perfect maiden. Well, if it weren't for her attitude and lack of grace. She was one of the few people Arthur couldn't imagine killing in cold blood. And that was really something when it came to Arthur.

"You should. I don't have such time." Arthur dismissed. He thought about Oliver losing at poker and thought it would be quite amusing nonetheless. He sighed. "He'd hit it off with the prince too if he wasn't so obsessed with scaring him all the time. Or if Alfred would even want to approach him regardless of his actions and occupation."

Amelia shook her head. "Ya' know, Alfred's not going to vanish if you try to tell him how you feel. He's not the type to be so mean like that."

Arthur paused. He raised his eyebrows. Amelia had never mentioned his lovesickness before like this. He frowned. He felt a headache rushing in. Oh, bloody hell. He didn't want to think about this ...Anything but this... "Why must we discuss this now?"

"Because you may be a clever shadow witch way ahead of your time, but you're still an idiot," Amelia said simply, shrugging. "I'll never understand. If you're an evil warlock who knows magic then why don't cha' just make some love potion or something? Don't those exist?"

Yes. He knew how to make one, he had a reason to before. "I can't do that. I don't want to keep Alfred trapped here against his will. It pains me not to, but I know Alfred wouldn't be happy here. He doesn't want me, and I'm not going to force him to." For a moment he imagined it. Alfred staying by his side. Alfred not repulsed by him. Alfred in his embrace. Alfred giving him a loving smile and tilting his head up for a kiss, and all it would take was one day's work in his study…..but no. He could never do that.

Amelia stared for a moment, and then: "You really do care about him, don't you?"

Arthur glared. The first time she asked this, he almost hurt her. He restrained himself, but he simply had to get used to Amelia saying such things. Otherwise, panic attacks would become a monthly occurrence. He was amazed when Amelia forgave him, although, she had no choice really. Maybe once this is over, he'll summon Francis again….

"Don't look at me like that, you grumpy witch. I'm trying to help you."

"I'm not a witch. That's a feminine title." Arthur corrected irritably, turning away.

"Whatever." Amelia snorted. "I still don't understand why you're so set on believing Alfred would be so rude to you like that. I'm sure if you actually tried, you might get somewhere."

"Incorrect. He'll think I'm a freak. Bollocks, he already thinks I'm a freak. They all do." _Because that's what they all think. You can't change that._ "Besides that, have you ever heard of a warlock or fabled " evil" person like me falling in love? He'll think I'm lying." _He'll laugh and call you a freak, an abomination, **and then he'll leave, and you'll be alo-**_

"That's crazy, he wouldn't do that. Alfred wouldn't do that."

Arthur closed his eyes. **_Yes._** Yes, he would. They all would eventually. No one who had free will would want him around. It didn't matter who he was. Wounds may fade, but the truth never would. The wounds would never heal. "Yes, he would."

Everyone else always did.

___________________

"You must not already think you have won, do you?" Arthur greeted, every drip of his voice lined with confidence, amusement, coldness. He didn't even blink as the green smoke around him billowed around and faded away. His footsteps filled the room, and the figure he had walked in on knew immediately that he was here. The evil, the notorious warlock who always terrified the kingdom to no end.

Prince Alfred turned around from where he stood, having hurriedly trying to break the sealed door that kept the princess from safety's grasp. He knew Arthur would soon catch him. There was something about it that gave him a thrill, though he couldn't tell why. He guessed it was just that Arthur was a very intimidating person.

The man always looked a bit funny in Alfred's opinion. The black outfit and cloak made sense, but the makeup? Why did his eyeliner and eyeshadow need to be such a bright shade of purple? And why was there so much? What was the stuff under his eyes called? Whatever. Arthur was weird, but he liked it somehow. Others always questioned how he managed to come back from such dangerous quests and it was simple. He liked danger. He loved being a hero. He liked fighting with Arthur.

"Took ya long enough old man," Alfred called, grinning smugly. The warlock was so easy to tease, despite his sadistic demeanor. It was fun, and it made facing the dark wizard something to look forward to, strangely enough. " Did I scare ya?"

"No, I merely thought it quite entertaining to watch your frustration and pain from afar. You seem to get more and more desperate every time. Perhaps you might finally meet your demise?" Arthur taunted, walking closer, his arms folded and his black cloak billowing behind him.

"As if. Heroes never die." Alfred said proudly, he turned around to face his opposer. "Why don't cha' just give up now? I always win." He said, glaring in the way any prince would be expected to when preparing to face off against such a dangerous foe. Arthur only smirked wider, pushing down all those feelings bubbling inside him. Oh the irony, oh how cute Alfred looked when he looked determined- Oh bloody fuck, Arthur was going to have a headache today.

"Oh please, stop insulting me with your hideous grammar." Arthur snorted. One would think a prince would always talk in the most acceptable and perfected manner, but Alfred always seemed to contradict that.

"It's not hideous, you talk like you're some old man." Alfred giggled childishly. He wanted this to go quickly today. He was hungry, and that wasn't the only reason. He had things to be doing, not that this wasn't fun. It was scary and very trifling, but fun. The warlock always made it even more fun, such quests weren't the same without him.

Arthur had to bite back a fond smile. Of course, Alfred had to act like his childish and cute self. Damn it all. Why was he so bloody cute? "How about I make you a deal? If you can last more than thirty minutes against me, I'll give you the key to the cell. If you don't, I'm afraid your little princess will finally be subjected to my plans."

"Heh, that sounds like a piece of cake. You sure?" Alfred said, filled with his childish arrogance as drew his sword, a beautiful shining blade fit for a king. It made sense, Alfred was gifted the blade by his late father. He saw no sense in why the old thing was so important, but he kept it anyway.

Arthur grinned. Oh, how he loved this. "Indeed. It's always so much fun to toy with you. I wonder, is the reason you always come back because of me or her?" He teased, not moving at all as Alfred came closer, sword in tow. He posed no real threat to the warlock.

"Stop it!" Alfred yelled, charging forward. He hated that weird feeling in his stomach that Arthur's jokes caused. He never knew what it was, and so many people had told him what he felt was the wrong answer when he had asked for help. He hated the unknown feeling, he was scared of it. Arthur didn't so much as move before it looked like the blade was about to hit his chest. In less than a second, he disappeared and then reappeared behind Alfred, his eyes glowing green.

"Honestly, can't you try a little harder? How disappointing."

The prince gritted his teeth and charged forward again. Arthur dodged each swing with ease, seeing as he had the clear advantage of magic on his side. He made sure whatever blows he laid were purely defensive, never hurting Alfred enough to put him out of action. He didn't want to bear the thought of him actually hurting Alfred. He felt the adrenaline and the need for bloodlust, but he would never truly hurt Alfred. Not him.

He loved this, but it was an entirely different thing to battle against Alfred than it was to battle against someone else. Usually, he would go straight in for the kill. He loved the screams, watching blood pool on the ground. He would kill unless the person had some benefit to him, only then would he hold back. He could never hurt Alfred though. He couldn't imagine doing such a thing anymore.

They clashed as such, green smoke and the noises of battle filling the room. Arthur lived for these battles. He knew he couldn't always do this, but that only made him savor his time with Alfred more. He knew that one day they would both have grown old, and Arthur might've cracked how to make himself immortal or extend his lifetime, but Alfred wouldn't be a part of that. He wouldn't want a future with him. He'd leave him alone just like everyone else always did.

A sharp pain emitted from his shoulder. Arthur bit back a scream and gritted his teeth, realizing he had let himself get distracted and actually let Alfred hit him. His precious cloak was ripped, and so was his black tunic underneath, crimson began to stain his otherwise flawless clothes. Bollocks, those were expensive.

"Getting tired already, old man? There's no shame in giving up." Alfred boasted, obviously smug and excited that he had finally hit his target where it hurt. He did feel a little bad, but it didn't matter right then. He hadn't been able to hit the warlock like that in months.

Arthur bit back the pain and only smirked lightly. He wouldn't let Alfred know how much it hurt. He simply stood up straight and threw off his cloak. His palm ignited in green flame. "I must say, your determination is admirable. A hero's feat indeed. Has your passion in me encouraged you to try harder to impress me?" He taunted. He knew the words would never hold truth, but it was just pointless banter. Something to make Alfred be adorable.

"Really, it seems you might be in love with me the way you keep joking with me." Alfred bit back, smiling. He wouldn't let the villain the last laugh.

Arthur froze. The green fireball lit in his palm diminished with his mental stability. No, Alfred didn't just say that….. How could he be so cruel? There was no way he could possibly know! Why was the person he was in love with so cruel? Didn't he know- oh but of course he couldn't? He couldn't ever know. He would be so disgusted with him, he would hate him forever.

He felt the depressing feelings seep in. He breathed heavily now, harder, faster, almost fragmented. Alfred would never want him, he would turn and leave as everyone else did, they always will, and so will Alfred. It was why he was a villain; because no one wanted him no matter who he was, why did he always want to think Alfred would be-

"Arthur……?" Arthur blinked harshly, seeing Alfred staring at him, puzzled, confused. That beautiful face. That beautiful face that could never be his. _He doesn't want you, no one does, they're all ri-_

"Do not toy with things you don't understand!" Arthur screamed, flinging magic in the direction of the hurtful words that plagued his soul. He didn't care what spell it was, he didn't care, he just wanted Alfred to stop talking, stop spewing those horrible words, no matter how much it made no sense.

He heard a pained scream and froze. He stopped, panting harshly. He hadn't used that much magic at once in years. Arthur just stopped and stood for a moment, regaining his breath. He could feel the blood rushing to his ears, bloody hell, it hurt. He heard heavy breathing that wasn't his and turned around.

Alfred was hunched over on the ground in pain. He had struck Alfred by accident. He had hurt him. He was on the floor in pain, blood staining his white royal clothes because of him. He felt guilty, so overwhelmingly guilty as he saw those big blue gorgeous eyes look up at him. It was his fault.

Everything always was his fault. _Your Fault. You Freak. Abomination. Disgusting. Unwanted. No wonder he doesn't want you. **No one does.**_

Arthur felt tears well up in his eyes and blinked them back. He could never show such weakness. He turned around. He couldn't stand to look at those blue eyes like that anymore. He took out the key from his breast pocket, and simply threw it on the ground and walked towards the door. He had to get out of there. Arthur couldn't bear the guilt. He had battled Alfred many times but his one rule was to make sure Alfred was never hurt to the point where he would've put out of action. He just broke that rule.

He ignored Alfred's shouts, demanding to know why he was leaving. He didn't want to answer. He simply walked faster. Arthur didn't want to face Alfred's anger. He didn't need another reminder that he was horrible. _Unlovable. Disgusting. Foul._

Not from Alfred. He couldn't bear it.

**_____________________**

He should have rest, he should sleep. But he just couldn't. He lay awake in his bed for hours staring up at the ceiling. He felt as if his back hurt to lay in this position, but he knew it would hurt a lot if he moved. The nurses had ordered him not to, or he might cause the wound to reopen.

The royal court had called it a noble feat; such courage and determination to get the beloved maiden back safe and sound, even with such a heavy blow to the chest. They praised him quite graciously, even planning a feast in his honor. It was flattering, but somehow Alfred didn't find himself so happy this time.

He couldn't stop thinking about Arthur. The way he looked at him when he hurt him. It wasn't the normal smug and victorious look. It was pure fear. Or, perhaps it was very badly hidden fear, Alfred didn't know. He looked disappointed, not in Alfred but himself. Alfred could've sworn he saw guilt, hurt. He could've sworn he even saw tears in his eyes. It was the face one could compare to that of a person who had just kicked a puppy by accident.

Actually, he felt like he was the one who just kicked a puppy.

Arthur was more like a cat, actually, but that was beside the point. He felt guilty. It was obviously his fault; he had made that remark. He didn't know it would hurt Arthur, to cause him to quite literally explode like that. It made Alfred feel so …. bad for some reason. And puzzled. Why would the warlock react so badly? He felt like he had to try and fix it.

He couldn't just up and apologize to Arthur though, that would be stupid. Arthur would think he was mocking him, making fun of him. They were enemies after all, and Arthur was some grumpy shadow witch who lived alone in the woods. He usually forgot Arthur had feelings. Now though, he felt as if he had to fix it. He didn't want to leave Arthur alone like that, he felt so bad. Who knows what could happen. He didn't like the idea of that. He didn't like the idea of Arthur alone, hurt and abandoned. He wanted to be Arthur's hero. But why? Why would he want to be Arthur's hero so badly? This had never happened before.

He figured a little lie could be set in place; that he could simply just lie and say he wanted to go back to demand an answer out of the warlock. Why he was terrorizing them and why he wouldn't stop. To finally stop him. Or something. It sounded more believable and respectable than simply just apologizing. The King and Queen would never understand that. They were such judgmental people. The Queen herself would probably burst out laughing, thinking it was all some well put together joke. He could say the same thing to Arthur but refuse to leave until he got the job done. Yes.

He didn't know why he wanted to be Arthur's hero, but his mind was already set.

Maybe someone like Arthur was just the person who needed one.


	2. Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred tries to find out why Arthur keeps kidnapping the princess.
> 
> He fails. Horribly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry about the extra wait on this particular chapter. I was on vacation in Colorado. I am a bit of a workaholic, meaning I did get some work done but not nearly as much as I would in normal circumstances 
> 
> Arthur reminds me of Maleficent. Except for a lot less evil and a lot more angsty. 
> 
> Enjoy! ^^

He had never gotten along with his stepmother and stepfather.

In truth, he was never related to either of him. His mother, his real mother, married his stepfather. To tell one the truth, Alfred never liked his new stepfather. He was only very young at the time, so he had no say, but even still. As he grew older, he never did, but he never complained. Even at a young age, he saw how happy his mom was now that she was married.

And then his mother passed away, leaving him in his stepfather's hands, in the hands of a kingdom that wasn't his, and for which he felt no loyalty for. It was an alright place, and saving it from danger, mostly Arthur, was the right thing to do, but he didn't owe anything to his so-called parents. Yes, it made him guilty to say so, but it was true. His stepfather was a stiff jerk and so was his wife.

Right now though? He hated them even more. A hundred times more. All he asked was four days; four days so he could go on a mission, to be the right person and apologize, but no. His so-called parents didn't want him going anywhere. He had just come back wounded in action from a brave journey, of course not.

He didn't hate his parents, he never tried to hate anyone, but his stepmother and stepfather were really just...frustrating. They pushed all of his buttons. They were selfish and egotistical and what annoyed him most of all, they treated him like some precious jewel. They were overbearing, always wanting to be in control of him, no matter what. If he wanted to leave the palace, he would usually have to sneak out, and that wasn't even their biggest crime against his freedom. He hated it.

Of course, they wouldn't let Alfred go anywhere, not so soon. To them, it was perfect. A courageous prince came home, injured in battle, but still managing to save the lovely princess. What better than to soak it up for all it was worth huh? That's what his parents did! They flaunted him around like a trophy, gloating about how their kingdom was in good hands, how great he was, and probably some very offensive words about peasants and other people, and probably magic is in there somewhere too.

The second he was bid goodnight, he banged his head against the bed frame. God, why? He had the perfect lie! He swore he was going to get away with this! Goddammit! He hated them so much! So much!

Oh, but he was not going to give up yet! He had to do this. Nobody stops the hero. His parents were not allowed to, they suck. They will not stop him. The second he could, he was going to sneak out. He didn't care what his fake parents wanted.

Once he was bid goodnight, he immediately changed back into travel suited clothes, which by the way, isn't so easy when you having a bandaged wound on your stomach. Alfred didn't have enough fingers to count how many times he gasped in pain. It was very annoying. Bending was a real pain.

The harder part was sneaking out of the building, but no hero backs down from a challenge. He wanted to, no, needed to do this. He didn't know what he'd be if he stayed home, probably a bad person. He didn't want to be a bad person, because then he'd be just like his parents. He had sworn since childhood he wouldn't do that. Once he was king, he'd be the kingdom's one and only true hero.

He wondered just what he'd do once he was king. One thing he wanted to do was ban slavery, only an idiot would think that stuff was a good thing. Another would be fewer taxes, and then all of those laws about magic persecution. Alfred didn't find anything wrong with magic, he didn't understand. He never understood why his stepmother would never address a witch or warlock by name, always calling them freaks of nature or abominations.

Perhaps that was why Arthur was a grumpy, shadow witch. He smirked and laughed and was still a snarky, sarcastic, asshole a lot, but he seemed like he didn't smile too often. Was it because he knew how unwanted by the general public he was? That sounded awful. Maybe if Alfred were hated like that, he wouldn't smile as much either, which sounded impossible, but still. He knew Arthur was all evil and stuff, but Alfred didn't remember seeing a genuine, happy smile on his face. If things were different, would Arthur be so evil? Or would he be … happy?

Maybe he'll make more fair rules or something, actually try to understand magic rather just blindly hate. It was an action that simply just made sense to him. It was the right thing to do, and heroes always do the right thing. Like, duh, he was doing the right thing right now. How many times had he said right in his head so far?

Ever so slowly, he opened his unnecessarily large bedroom doors, trying to sneak around and not inflict pain in his stomach too. The grand hall was dark, the lanterns and candles glowing, casting a dim, almost dark look. The huge glass windows cast natural light, showing all who looked a gorgeous view of the night. Alfred liked the night, especially the stars. They were beautiful, simply almost magical to him.

He closed the door as quietly as he could, casting looks around the hall. It was quiet, save for his own movements and the rattling of the wind blowing against the window panes. Alfred's head filled with adrenaline and anxiety as he began to walk away, cursing every time his shoes made noises in contact with the stone. He was going to run out curse words by the time he left the building.

He kept his mind occupied as he walked. Why was he so keen to go help Arthur? It was weird, it was like didn't know how he felt about Arthur anymore, it was strange. He usually always understood his feelings, understood his feelings towards people. His parents were unlovable jerks, Amelia was sweet and he loved her to death, but he'd never love her the way one might think. Arthur was...he didn't know.

He wondered suddenly, what would Arthur look like without makeup on? He always saw the warlock with makeup, so what if he didn't wear any? What did that look like? What about when he wore something that wasn't black? Or purple? What if Alfred one day saw Arthur in red? Or pink? Well, now he really wanted to see it, as his imagination would never be enough.

See, that was his problem. Whenever his mind lingered on Arthur, weird thoughts always popped into his head out of nowhere. Why? Why was he fascinated with these things about Arthur? Wouldn't Arthur just love to see him dead? Why would he want to think about these things about is supposed enemy? It was crazy!

Alfred came upon a flight of stairs. Awesome, stairs were noisy. Honestly, castles should have ramps. That would be cool. Stairs were a good thing though, it meant he was getting closer to his destination, the stables. He'll steal a horse and ride as fast as he could towards Arthur's lair. Was it a lair? Yeah, duh. All villains had one.

After conquering the stairs, he began to form a better route to the stables. Too bad they were on the other side of the castle. He looked around the new set of halls. He was pretty sure he was on the second floor…? He had an awesome map of the castle, seeing as he snuck out of the castle all the time. It gave one a real good idea of how unfair his parents really could be sometimes.

Footsteps began to ring through the large halls. Shit, guards. God damn it, hide! Alfred panicked, stumbling around until he nearly threw himself at the wall, yanking at the curtains and hiding behind them like his life depended on it.

He forced his breathing to slow down, listening with utmost focus as the pair of footsteps grew closer and closer. He dared not peak out, if he were caught, his parents will be informed of this for sure. That was not a good thing. Anxiety flooded through his mind like someone had broken a dam as he held onto the curtains with a death grip, praying that whoever was walking by will not hear or see him.

He yelped as the other end of the curtain was yanked back, whipping his head around and shouting the first excuse that came to mind.  
"I can explain! I-I-"

"Alfred?"

It was Amelia. Out of all the people, it wasn't a guard. It was Amelia, hair down and flowing, her figure dressed in a sleeping gown. Even at night like this, she still did look quite stunning.

She frowned. "What are you doing?"

Alfred had to think of something. Now. "I-I, um, A-Amelia! Look! Please, I can explain!"

Amelia gave him a look, taking in his appearance. "You're going to sneak out, aren't you?"

What? "I-I, No! I'm not! I'm...er...window washing! Or something! It's…" Alfred's cheeks reddened as Amelia smiled at him.

"Alfred, I'm not dumb! You're going to go sneak out to Arthur's, aren't you?" Amelia asked, smiling mischievously.

Oh lord. Alfred blushed profoundly. "N-No! That's ridiculous! Amy, come on!" He said rather loudly, laughing nervously.

"Alfred, you come on. Stop lying. You're going to go steal a horse and travel to Arthur's, aren't you?" Amelia asked again, folding her arms.

Alfred sighed in defeat. "Yes, I am. You got me."

Amelia smirked. "I knew it."

"Well, yes, but please don't tell anyone! You probably won't understand this, but I need to do this!" Alfred practically pleaded, desperate to make her understand. He couldn't be so close only to get caught by Amelia. He will not allow it.

"Oh, don't lose your cool. Of course I won't tell anyone." Amelia, swatting around a hand at Alfred.

Alfred widened his eyes stupidly at Amelia. "R-Really? You mean it?"

Amelia's smile widened. "Yep. I think you should." Alfred liked Amelia for this; she always had the same determination to rebel against authority as well. "I'm sure Arthur would love to see you."

Alfred blushed red again. "Arthur happy? To see me? You must be joking. He'll probably hex me or throw me in a dungeon."

"Not as long as you say the right thing," Amelia said, shrugging. She looks down at Alfred's attire again. "Are you really planning on going out there without a sword?"

Alfred looks down. Oh shit. He had no weapon. "I...am ...might have forgotten that part." He muttered, embarrassed.

Amelia snorts into her hand. "You wouldn't last five minutes you big idiot."

"Hey! I was in a hurry, okay?! This is important!" Alfred shouting, trying to cover himself for the little mishap.

"Alright, calm down! I'm surprised you have woken up half the castle by now, good lord." Amelia giggled, throwing her hands up in surrender. She was a lot like Alfred when it came to these things, loud and childish, but more serious when it was needed. She also liked to act like she knew something important that Alfred did not, which was seriously annoying.

"Listen, Amy, you're great and smart and all, but I really need to get going. Can you cover for me once everyone finds out I'm gone?" Alfred said, growing impatient much too quickly now.

Amelia nods, understanding. "I can try. Don't blame me once they freak out and start accusing each other of betrayal and witchcraft."

Alfred groans. "Okay, well, yeah, almost everyone in this place sucks, but still. At least try, please?"

"Of course! Now, go get 'em, prince charming." Amelia said, patting him on the shoulder. She brightens. "Hey, by the way, while you're there, can you say hi to Oliver to me please?"

What? "Who's Oliver?" Alfred asked, clueless. Should he know who that was?

Amelia's face drops, a look of disappointment sinking in. "Oh, never mind. Just come back in one piece, okay?"

Alfred nods slowly. That he could do. Well, he was pretty sure anyway. "Of course."

____________

Arthur had long since calmed down now.

Well, he wouldn't call silently mourning into his pillows like a little girl calm, but he had stopped throwing things.

Arthur knew he had messed up. He had hurt Alfred so badly, it made his heart hurt. He knew the poor lad was alive, would likely be fine even in a few weeks, but it still made his heart ache so badly with guilt. He was terrified of it, but he had long since come to terms with his feelings. Accepting feelings was a good thing for the mind after all.

Why must this be so hard? If only he could forget Alfred and move on. He had things to do with his life, goals he had set to achieve, a world to change, and yet here he was releasing ogres into the villages and cursing dukes and damsels, hoping it'll mean Prince Charming would catch him at it and come forth to stop him.

He never expected to be such a lovesick fool. Part of it could be because he never had fallen in love before now. Most romantic relationships he had were fueled by his sadistic and lustful desires, him succumbing to the sins of man. He'd summon an incubus or two (he preferred incubi, succubi were just a little bit too full of themselves). He'd keep them around for a little while, get attached to their reactions from him dominating them and marking them up.

But, never love like this. Alfred had completely changed the way he thought about love. The kind of fondness he had previously thought he wasn't capable of giving to humans. Before meeting Alfred, he only remembered liking a child from his childhood village who gave him bread every day.

The thoughts of his childhood home made depressing thoughts in his head get worse, so he ceased all thoughts about his childhood years. He didn't like to think about the horrors he went through back then, the horrors that shaped him into a villain. If anything, he resented it even more now, perhaps if things were different, maybe he would have a future with Alfred.

He sighed into his velvet pillow heavily. He felt horrible. Emotional turmoil pooled in his brain. He couldn't stop imagining Alfred in front of him, hunched in pain, blood flowing from his chest, looking at him with that pained, hurt look. It almost killed him to see those bright blue eyes filled with agony, with hurt and judgment. It was a feeling similar to that of kicking a puppy.

_You're a freak. No one wants you, you're better off dead in everyone's eyes. No one wants to understand, you disgusting, ugly-_

"Master Arthur?"

Arthur poked his head up from his pillow, staring at the door. The gentle knocking rang again, this time not accompanied by a verbal question. He was not going to let any of his demons see him like this. No, that would be utterly humiliating. If it was one of those demons from the last attack asking for payment, so help him he will tear them to pieces. It didn't sound quite like a demon.

"Go away" he ordered, stuffing his face back in his pillow.

"It's Oliver." The voice repeated.

"Sod off."

"No."

Arthur glared at the door. Oliver was lucky he had a soft spot for faeries. Quite a big soft spot, he didn't know where he'd be without them. Probably dead.

"I don't want your company," Arthur said, settling down back into the pillows. Company was the last thing he needed.

"Yes you do, you grumpy old witch. I'm coming in."

Arthur turned to once again scowl at the door as he watched it open. Oliver stood, black cloak in one hand and a tray of teacups in the other.

"You forgot your cloak," Oliver informed, closing the door behind him.

"I ordered you to leave me alone."

"And I'm not a demon, therefore I don't have to follow your orders If I don't want to. Besides, you need to stop being a grump." Oliver said decidedly, settling down in an old chair set by Arthur's bed. "Someone has to keep you company before your pessimism gets the better of you."

Arthur growled loudly before getting up and settling into a sitting position. Sulking alone was a very common occasion with Arthur, and Oliver seemed to have made it his profession to make Arthur feel better whenever possible. It was irritating, but Arthur would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate it. It helped him keep the crushing loneliness at bay.

"Do I smell Earl Grey?"

"Yep! Your favorite! I put some honey in it to help you relax better." Oliver replied, pouring a cup of tea in one of the small decorated teacups. Arthur prided himself in having a collection of teacups.

Arthur took the cup and slowly lifted it. He looked a right mess in the liquid reflection. Even in the brown shade of the liquid, the warlock could still see his hair in greater dismay than it was previously. He looked tired.

"You alright master?" Oliver asked, tilting his cute face in concern. Arthur raised an eyebrow before taking a small sip of his tea.

"I'm fine," Arthur said. He had no idea whether or not it was a lie.

Oliver only nodded. His smile was warm, like baked pastries fresh out of the oven. It was warm and sweet, an expression one would find a great challenge in attempting to hate. "A great number of your demon servants contracts only involved them sticking around until your plan was concluded. Many of them expect payment now."

Demons and their food. They were such snobs when it came to food in Arthur's opinion. What pigs. Still, though, he always held up his end of the contract. "I can provide them with a feast soon, I merely needed some time to myself. A dozen or so souls won't be too hard to take peacefully, humans being so hateful toward one another and all."

"Are you sure you're ready to go back to work?" Oliver asked, frowning. "There's no shame in taking a break. You can't put too much on yourself."

Arthur glared. Surely Oliver would know he wasn't one to slack. Not when there was work, not when there were plans, things to go and things to do. He couldn't fall behind. He had to keep pushing to be the greatest. He couldn't stop. He didn't want to.

Even if he had no one to be proud of him.

"I'll be up shortly. You tell them all of what I said. I have a lot of work to do." Arthur ordered, glaring at Oliver. The faerie frowned deeper and looked like he'd very much like to protest, but he instead nodded and got up to leave, taking the rest of the tea tray with him.

"Yes, master."

___________________________

Alfred stared around the walls, not entirely sure where he was going. It was one of the many disadvantages Alfred had; the walls and halls of the small castle Arthur resided in was never the same. The halls always changed, as if it were some magical defense to ensure Alfred could never get around so easily.

That being said, it was ridiculously easy to get lost in the place. Annoyingly ridiculous. Alfred's only option was to just wander until he found something. Perhaps he would get lucky and he could find someone who would give him directions or lead him to Arthur. If they didn't try to attack him.

The kingdom would probably freak out once they find he was gone for more than two days, which was how long it took to get there. Or, they'd guess he was dead and find a new knight to be the defender of the kingdom. In short, he didn't like his stepparents that much. He was pretty sure he'd elaborated enough on that by now.

Alfred wasn't even sure what he was even going to say. _"Hey, I came to demand why you keep kidnapping a princess and causing a kingdom I wasn't even born in to send me to rescue her"._ Sounded lame. Alfred wasn't lame. He was a hero. Heroes are cool.

It wasn't like he didn't mind. It was a childish belief, but Alfred liked being a hero. A heroic prince saving some damsel in distress from a dragon or a witch or maybe even both was his dream as a child. It wasn't quite what he had in mind, seeing as an arranged marriage forced him to move countries and the only available princess (Amelia, who is the one who always finds herself in distress), wasn't really attractive. She was good looking, but not what Alfred wanted.

How would he even bring up his apology? That was the hardest part. He didn't want to mess up twice. It was unthinkable. It was also a very weird concept; him wanting to redeem himself like this. The first couple of times he found himself confronting the warlock, he didn't compute the man had any feelings except evil. (Is evil a feeling?) Just a weirdo in a giant cloak and maybe the owner of a pet dragon.

As time grew on though, he didn't see it like that anymore. Sure, Alfred still thought Arthur was plenty of evil, sadistic and cunning, but not like he was one dimensional. He thought that was rude, despite all the warlock had done and what he still could do. The thought of slaying him or defeating him and putting an end to his life's work stopped crossing his mind. Now all he thought about was the deed in front of him and nothing more. He didn't even compute killing him in the first place. He didn't want to be a murderer, no matter who it was.

It was rather confusing, and Alfred just couldn't put his finger on why. Why would he care? Why were his thoughts about Arthur so unique? It scared him how he didn't know the answer. It was the one thing about Arthur that scared him, and he hardly had a clue why.

Alfred stopped. Did he hear footsteps? It was too hard to tell; it had been quite silent since the prince entered the building. Were there people coming? Alfred pondered whether or not to draw his sword. Couldn't be too bad, right? After all, he was here on peaceful terms.

Voices became louder, along with the footsteps. Alfred stayed right where he was. Sounded like a group, leisurely talking. Did they know he was here? Alfred couldn't interpret their conversation, he was too far away. He carefully walked over to the corner, tempted to peek over the dark walls.

"Oi! Who the hell are you?!"

Alfred jumped, turning sharply round. They were behind him?? What? Three dark men, demons probably, had turned the corner behind him, all staring in anger and surprise. Alfred stood frozen, not sure what to do. Three seconds wondered by before one of them shouted an order.

"Intruder! Apprehend him immediately!"

___________________________

Arthur didn't know why he worked with demons sometimes. Total snobs. The help they gave him was so vague and naturally unhelpful. Basically, it was almost like he had no real lead at all.

Demons were real arseholes when it came to their work. They were selfish and absolutely snobbish on the fact that humans always wanted their help. They'd do and say whatever they wanted to, take any loophole out of a contract they wanted, and it was so hard to change their minds, even if he ordered upon it. At least they had good taste in tea.

He stared at the book sitting on the table. It was supposed to be rare, hundreds of complex spells and summonings, all still in complete and untouched Latin. It was too bad he already knew half of them. Did they think he was that dull? He learned a good number of these before he even turned eighteen. He knew how hard it was to find one of these, kingdoms burning them left and right, but still, it wasn't exactly what he wanted.

For months he had been searching for a way to summon an evil spirit in particular. Particularly, the demon of wrath. One of the deadly sin spirits. Such a spirit was ridiculously hard to summon, and even just finding the spell was hard enough. Not many wanted to summon a demon representation of sin, except lust, funny enough. Nonetheless, he needed the help of the spirit to take power. He knew his plan would inevitably include deaths on an astronomical scale, which he was sure would please Wrath. He rubbed his tired eyes and turned another page. He didn't wear any makeup or anything during research. As much as he loved to keep up appearances, it simply got in the way. His cloak wasn't on either, sat aside on a nearby chair.

His intentions weren't all evil, but they weren't all good either, but it was the only way. Perhaps if humanity wasn't so scared of magic, there would be another way. Or if humans weren't so afraid of magic, Arthur wouldn't have any plans to begin with. He only dabbled with dark magic in the first place because of that. It wasn't his fault he enjoyed it.

A knock rang out. Arthur turned from where he sat, giving a tired sigh. He wanted to sleep, but it wasn't like he was going to stop now. He still had fifteen more chapters to inspect. He didn't recognize the voice too much, meaning that it was either a demon or this meant that his failed attempt at summoning a unicorn was still roaming the building.

"What do you want?"

"We caught an intruder, Master Arthur."

Oh.

Well, this ought to be interesting.

___________________________

Alfred gave one last jerk with his arms, trying to break free.

The thing holding him on the right glared sharply before shoving him down on his knees. Alfred bit the inside of his cheek harshly, trying to mask a pained scream. These things, well, he was guessing they were part of Arthur's weird demon army, weren't very gentle with him. One had threatened to break his arm twice already.

Actually, speaking of which.

"What happened to breaking my arm?" Alfred retorted, shifting on his knees to release the pain from being shoved down so hard. His empty belt was loose, making the position more uncomfortable. They took all of his weapons, including the sword his father, his real father, handed down to him. He was quite worried about the latter. He had great respect for his real father.

The demon in question growled and tightened his grip on Alfred's shoulder. "Oh, I would love to. Though, I'm under strict orders from the Master not to fatally wound you. Keep still."

Alfred scrunched his brow. Master was Arthur, right? Why would Arthur give his minions or whatever orders not to hurt him? That didn't make much sense. Then again, he did remember not really ever getting mich other than bruises and the occasional broken hand whenever fighting Arthur or any of his distractions. Why…..?

Alfred heard footsteps fill the room. He turned his head. Footsteps echoed loudly off the walls from the other room, growing closer and closer. Alfred swallowed. Was that Arthur? Alfred listened in rising anticipation as the footsteps grew closer still. The door swished open, and within seconds, Arthur had appeared.

Arthur froze.

What... What was Alfred doing here? Did he come here... willingly? Arthur didn't remember doing a single thing to provoke this visit. Why would Alfred be here? Alfred would never set foot in his home without a clear reason or orders. He wouldn't want to be here. That was why Arthur kidnapped the princess so much. Still, though, Arthur's mind was still buzzing with newfound excitement. Alfred was here. He came here by himself. It was what he previously thought unheard of. Why? Why was he here? He needed to know so badly now.

_Act normal. Act normal. **Act normal.**_

Arthur forced a smirk on his face. Just act normal. Right. He cleared his throat. "Well, I wasn't expecting the royal prince in shining armor to visit me. What a surprise. Tell me, what gives me this pleasure?"

"I-I..." Alfred hesitated. Holy shit, Arthur wasn't wearing any makeup! His face looked so...so empty. It was kinda nice though. He had freckles even, cute little spots dotted on his nose. He wasn't wearing a cloak either….It was adorable. Arthur looked adorable. Wait what? "I-I…." Stay on track, Alfred. This was going to be tricky. He wasn't normally a big fan of lying, but then again he had to pull it off all the time. Nobility was so hard to please, it was all so tiresome and confusing for the young prince. Well, might as well. He tried his best to put on a brave face. "I'm here by myself. I wanna know why you keep kidnapping the Lady Amelia."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. Oh, of course. For a moment Arthur had almost let himself dream that Alfred was here because of him, not because of anything else. He should've known. "You've gone this long without knowing, why intrude upon my home and demand an answer from me so rudely?"

Alfred simply shrugged. "'Was curious. So is the queen, and her word always goes with no questions. Besides, I thought warlocks were more into dragons and stuff. Why the princess?" What a nice lie, he hoped it worked.

Arthur felt his mind rushing. _He had to lie. Lie lie, lie, lie, lie,_ _lie. Don't you dare tell him the truth, he'll laugh in your face. Sneer, call you names, call you on for the freak you are._ Arthur pushed that thought down. Would Alfred call him a freak? _Yes. Yes, he would. You're nothing but a vile demon that needs to be wiped off the face of the earth._ "I have no reason to tell you anything. My lips will remain firmly sealed. "

Alfred frowned. Okay, well, harder than he thought. Then again, what was he expecting? A confession? A declaration of love? "Aw come on! I had to ride on a horse for two days! At least give me a hint! I'm not leaving until I get one!"

"No. I find it not useful to tell you my plans for the future, and you'll have to do without coming back home with triumph. Oh my, I bet your dear old queen will be most displeased. I hope you have a good cover story. " Arthur snickered. Or he pretended to. Perhaps seeing the Queen with a very displeased look on her face was a comical sight, he'll never know. He never had and probably never will have the so-called honor of meeting the queen. He despised her anyhow. That wasn't what he was thinking about though. What he was thinking about was his utter disappointment.

He had begun thinking without proper repercussions. What if Alfred came here on his own accord? _Of course, that would never happen. Alfred hated it here, he didn't want to be here. He hated Arthur and how he always caused trouble. He hates you, he wants nothing to do with a freak like you. Stop trying! Leave him be, save everyone the trouble! **He doesn't want a freak like you!**_

Oh no. Plan B, Alfred. Did he even have a plan B? No, apparently. Shit. What now? "Come on, please? I don't have to tell anyone, just me. Why can't I know?"

"My answer is no, and that is final," Arthur said, glaring and imposing. He can't know, no not him. Not him. Never him. Please no. Not him. Not him.

"Please? I won't even tell Amelia! Is it because of power, greed? Heck! Is it me?! Am I the reason?!"

Arthur froze. All the color ran from his face. No... how? How?! How the utter ruddy?! No, he can't ever know. _No, no, no, no, no, no._ Please, not him too. He wasn't ready. He didn't want to hear the insults. **_Freak. Filth. Nobody wants you. They all threw you out, they all cast you away. You're a freak. Freak. Freak. Freak._**

"Arthur.....?"

**_Yes, just like your mother, unwanted, a waste of space, horrible filth. They were glad to be rid of you, and so is Alfred. he's about to laugh, scream at the freak, realize how right he is. Realize what a lost cause freak show you are and leave, leave and never come back-_ **

"Master Arthur?"

Arthur coughed rather loudly, almost choking. What?

He looked up. How hard had he been breathing? He was still right where he was.....Alfred hadn't shouted at him. Both of his demon servants looked bewildered at their master, wondering why he had begun to panic so frantically. Alfred sat there, a confused look on his face. Maybe he didn't....? No, stop being a child, Arthur.

"Fine." He yelled. He strode forward. "If you're not going to leave without my word, then you can stay here for as long as you bloody like. It's your choice. You two, lock him up."

Wait, no, no, _no, no,_ _**no, no!**_ Arthur what are you doing! You idiot! _Idiot!_ Oh, why must he always ruin everything?

Alfred's eyes widened in surprise. What? What? What! "Wha- No! You can't do that!" He resisted as much as he could against the demons now shoving him up to his feet. "I didn't mean it! Don't do this! I'm sorry, whatever I did!" Like Arthur or not, he didn't want to be locked up in a dungeon! What had he said this time? He didn't understand!

Arthur ignored him. He turned away and covered his face in his hands. "Yes, I can. I won't repeat myself, get him out of my sight. Lock him up and throw away the key." He felt tears rushing up to meet his face, threatening to spill. He blinked them back. He hadn't cried in years, he couldn't start now. _**Freak.**_ He needed to leave now. Before Alfred saw him like this. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't take back what he said anyway. He'd deal with what his traumatic panic attacks landed him in yet again later. Just not now. He had to be alone. "I have work to do. Leave me be."

He was always alone.

_Always alone._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This needed more of Alfred's point of view. This is much better to me now. :P
> 
> I went from something like 3,500 - 4,000 words in this chapter to over 6,000. Wow. Good for me.


	3. Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred, while trapped in the dungeons in frustration, meets Francis, a sex demon. He reveals why Arthur as been acting like a ticking time bomb as of late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, OOF, feelings. My brain literally wishes to explode when I write about feelings. Good thing I'm a Pisces. 
> 
> Francis shows up in this chapter. Yes, he's a sex demon. Haha.

Alfred banged his head against the wall in frustration.

Oh, he had really screwed up this time.

He didn't mean to upset Arthur again! He just simply didn't want to get kicked out without reaching his goal! Then he had to be the idiot; he blurted out something wrong, something so wrong it made Arthur freak out.

He couldn't really figure out what had happened. Arthur basically looked like he was having a panic attack. He didn't even seem to regard the other people in the room, he started freaking out. The sight looked very worrying to Alfred. He just didn't know what he did, and why did it provoke him like that? Arthur looked more like he saw someone get murdered. 

He felt horrible. He had done that? And all he wanted to do was apologize! Oh, he had gone too far! Now, he had landed himself in a dungeon. Now he sat in a dark corner of a dark cell with nothing but a pile of hay for a bed. This was bad. His muscles screamed at him as he shifted positions, trying his hardest to get comfortable. It was quite hard. Nothing but grimy stone to lean on. Or hay. 

What was that his tutor said? Certain things can trigger panic attacks? Or something, he didn't pay much attention to Kiku these days. He was an alright person, but even still. That didn't quite help him though. He still didn't understand.

Was it because he suggested himself? That made zero sense; that was only the result of him panicking. But that had been the point where Arthur's mood had gone from slightly annoyed to losing sanity. Why? He didn't mean for it to mean anything! Why did he keep messing this up?

He felt the reason to apologize more than ever. Alfred banged his head against the wall in frustration. It hurt, but Alfred didn't want to care. And here he thought he was supposed to be Arthur's hero. He wanted to be Arthur's hero. How could he do that when he kept hurting him? He felt indescribably horrible. He had to fix this. 

He couldn't really describe it. In the end, he really owed Arthur nothing. Arthur hadn't exactly been the nicest person to him. Still, it was so hard to hate Arthur. It never even came as a thought until someone asked him and he said no. Hating Arthur sounded ...wrong, like he shouldn't. By all means, he had no reason not to hate Arthur.

He did really start to enjoy fighting with Arthur, despite the part that it was a fight. The more he grew used to the higher-ups sending him to deal with Arthur for them, the more he began to enjoy it. Even the Arthur part of it. At first, Alfred didn't like him, he didn't even compute that Arthur had any feelings. Just defeat the villain, and be a hero. Now, all of a sudden, he wanted to be Arthur's hero too.

He couldn't imagine life without the grumpy warlock. It was so weird; it was like he had grown attached to him, but why? He hadn't really even had a real conversation with the man. It wasn't like anything else he felt; it was different. Very different. Alfred didn't know, and it was quite unsettling.

Then again it could be…...no…..it couldn't...

"Oh! Looks like I'm not the only one down here!"

Alfred jumped from the wall. What was that?  
What? He…..it had been dead silent until now, how in the hell could there be someone here? "Hello…..?" He said with more uncertainty than he would've liked.

"No need to be afraid." Footsteps became audible to his right. Alfred flinched and whipped his head. A figure stepped closer, stepping out of the shadow like a dramatic villain. "I come in peace, I have no intention of harming my master's prisoners."

Alfred stayed tense. The man certainly didn't look ready to hurt him. In fact, he was almost lean and at ease, like a cat. It was…..weird. This man was weird. And French. 

"W-who ...Who are you?" Alfred asked nervously, sitting up cautiously. The Frenchman raised a tired eyebrow at his continued uneasiness. 

"No need to be alarmed by moi; I am just a simple servant bored and wandering." The stranger said, walking closer. His long blond locks shone in the light. Alfred didn't much care for men with long hair, but he had to admit that this man pulled it off better than he ever could. 

"I-sorry. I just…thought I was alone." Alfred quickly apologized, forcing himself to relax.

"Relax mon ami. I'm merely a servant with no orders. You may call me Francis."

Francis. Now the most french man Alfred had ever met. Alfred looked down and realized how sparsely dressed he was. This man was weird. No! Don't be rude! Try and make conversation. Alfred had no idea how long he was stuck down here anyway. 

"So ...what exactly do you do for Arthur?" He asked, watching as Francis sat down leisurely on a stray barrel on the other side of the bars.

"I'm a sex demon. More commonly referred to as an incubus." Francis stated. "I think you can guess what my services are from there."

Oh. So he was a sex demon. Arthur kept him around for sex. Okay then. This was awkward. He tried to not let that ruin his image of the guy. "You're his…?"

"Oui, he started using me quite a lot more recently. I must say, he didn't strike me as the type before." Francis said conversationally.

Alfred forced himself to nod. He had to be nice, he was stuck down here with him. He never had such a conversation about sex before. Sex was a conversation banned from the "civil minds" of the royal court. He never understood them. Them "saving his virginity" like it was some artifact. Gross. "So...you enjoy it?"

"You're a virgin, aren't you?" Francis asked, smirking. Alfred opened his mouth to protest, but Francis cut him off. "It is fine, most princes are as such. It's not a matter of enjoying it, it's more like it's your life. I feed off of it. I do this because it's food. I enjoy it most of the time, of course, but it's hard to hate it when it's your entire life." 

Alfred nodded. This was weird. He never had a conversation with a magical being before. Not with the kingdom staring down his back, judging his every move and word. It was kind of….freeing. "Why does Arthur…..like your services so much?" He wrinkled his nose at using the word "use."

"Ah. I could say my services are quite favorisé by my master. One of my powers includes being able to take the form of others. It is a mere illusion, I can never be the person I take the form of, but I can look just like them."

"Oh...that sounds cool. Can you look like me?" 

"Oui, I can. But I won't be able to act like you."

"That's cool," Alfred commented, and he meant it. Magic was always kind of cool to Alfred, despite what his superiors thought. "What form does Arthur like?"

Suddenly, as if the subject was very funny to Francis, the French demon in front of him smirked again. "Do you really want to know?"

"Wha…?" Alfred blurted, furrowing his brow in confusion. "Why wouldn't I want to know?"

Francis almost laughed, from which he caught himself. He leaned forward. "It's a secret Arthur keeps most dear. However, I have no problem telling you. In fact, I think I should tell you. However, there is a reason Arthur is keeping it a secret."

Alfred hesitated. He really shouldn't. Messing with other people's secrets isn't always good. Then again ...he always had burning curiosity when it came to Arthur. "Just tell me."

"Alright, fine." Francis shrugged a little before straightening up. "It's you."

Wait, what? "Huh ...?" Alfred blinked.

"The form most favored by Arthur is you," Francis repeated, smirking larger still at Alfred's dumbfounded face. 

Alfred blinked again. Arthur….out of all the people, wanted to pretend it was him? That couldn't be...that didn't make sense. Why was his heart beating so madly all the sudden? "I don't understand," Alfred said.

"It means Arthur likes you ,mon ami. It means he admires you so much he has to have me around to clean it up. Do you understand now?" Francis explained slowly, clearly amused despite the weight of the conversation. "Arthur is in love with you."

Alfred was speechless. This was ...certainly not the answer he thought he'd get. Arthur…..that was creepy! He didn't want to think Arthur asked a demon to look like him during….that. Wait ...but what Francis had said… "Arthur is in love with me?"

"Yes! Are you really telling me you never once suspected so? He's hot over heels in le' amour with you! It's why he always does trouble, just so when you come out to stop him, he gets a chance to see you!" Francis said, smiling as if he had just revealed the cure to the plague. 

But ...this was so weird. Arthur loved him? Arthur was in love with him? But he was a villain! He was always trying to hurt him! "But, he's a villain! He's tried to kill me, he locked me up in a dungeon!" Alfred protested weakly.

Francis merely chuckled, almost as if he found the prince's behavior cute. "Think about it, when have you ever actually come to harm under Arthur's eye? This is a very dangerous place and yet, the worst you ever get is nothing anyone would call fatal. Not to mention whenever you hint at his secret, he has a panic attack. He explodes."

Alfred opened his mouth before he thought. That was true. The one time he ever came close to dying in this place was when he had made that mistake and hurt Arthur like that. And just yesterday, when he went too far and suggested himself, Arthur had once again panicked hard and then blew upon him.

"But...why?" Alfred wondered out loud. "Why would he hide it? I ...to be honest, I'd be quite flattered." 

"Why do you think? You're the prince of the kingdom, sent by the court to deal with him. You two are enemies. Think about it mon ami, Arthur is a warlock. He practices magic, and such a practice is hated by all royalty of Europe. They're afraid of us, they don't understand us, and humanity always jumps to conclusions when it comes to what they don't understand. Who's to say you'll take Arthur's love so warmly? For all he knows, you could reject him."

"But I wouldn't do that! That's horrible!" The thought of rejecting someone, no matter who they were, who gave their whole heart to him sounded horrible. Why would he do such a thing, and to Arthur of all people? He couldn't think of hurting Arthur that way! 

"He doesn't know that. All you two have with each other is a history of fighting. You also come straight from royalty, the ones who order for our kind to be slain and burned. How does Arthur know you won't turn away or call him a freak? It's a thing he sulks about all the time. If it were so easy to tell you, why would I be around?"

Alfred considered this, too confused and in thought to protest anymore. It did make sense, a lot, but it almost seems like it was unbelievable, not unless those words came from Arthur's mouth. Did Arthur really think he would do such a thing? Reject him? If Amelia had asked such a thing, he would at least go on one date, just to make her happy. It didn't matter that he didn't like her, that didn't keep Alfred from treating Amelia just once. And who knows, maybe Alfred would fall in love in return.

Would he be willing to do the same for Arthur? Yes, yes he would. After all, he was quite fond of the warlock. His heart seemed to beat quite fast at the notion of Arthur being in love with him. Why was that? Why would it give him the joy to know this?

Unless. No. Besides, it couldn't be. He enjoyed Arthur's company, but still. Francis had said it himself, he had only fought Arthur; they never even had a real conversation. Still though, Arthur's snarky comments. The thrill of fighting Arthur, the spark that came when Arthur laughed, evil or no. Those green eyes.

No. No, no, no, no.

Was he in love with Arthur too?? That couldn't be! But what he felt! It was almost ten times stronger than what he had ever felt for Amelia, and sometimes he wondered whether or not he forced himself to feel so for Amelia only because his parents wanted him to. Yet he never felt anything like this. Not for Amelia, and never for any past lovers either, not even Natalya or Elizabeth. And he had been quite serious about Natalya. 

That time earlier today, when Alfred saw Arthur without his evil getup for the first time. He thought he was adorable, Alfred knew he had, and well, Arthur was. He had wondered what other places on his body had freckles, and just how soft his face was, and what those green eyes look like looking at him with fondness as he cupped those soft, cute little cheeks...

Oh, geez, he really was in love with Arthur! The feeling in his stomach, the adoration for everything about him, it was all there! Now it felt kind of stupid how he had been denying the feeling was there. Arthur had been in love for so much longer, and had been hurting; keeping his heavy heart a secret, terrified of Alfred calling him a freak. That was horrible. That was all him? 

He had to do something about this. More than ever. He had to show Arthur he didn't need to be so afraid. So this was why he had those panic attacks. It made so much sense now. Now he knew how to fix it. Maybe he wasn't nearly so serious about this as Arthur, but that didn't mean he couldn't try. 

So this was why he wanted to be Arthur's hero so badly. He was in love with him the entire time. He wanted more than ever to simply just hug the warlock and tell him it'll be alright. How small would he be in his arms without that giant cloak on him? Would he be warm like his passed mother? 

Gosh, now he had to sit here and wait and think of a plan. He was going to fix this. He was going to show Arthur he didn't need to be so afraid. Alfred, call him a freak? Even if his life was on the line he wouldn't do that, and he was going to prove it, one way or another. Even if it took weeks or months, heck, it's not like his parents will really miss him that bad. Sure, they'll cause a fuss, him being the heir, and one day he would have to go back, but a few months or weeks or so wouldn't kill them.

But, unfortunately, he was still stuck down here. He couldn't do anything right now except think and brood.

An idea hit him.

"Hey, Francis? You still there?"

"Oui, it seems you finally remembered. You need something?"

When had Francis gotten over there in that cell...? Oh, it didn't matter, he was magic. He was probably resting or something, he had forgotten he was there in his thought rant after all. Alfred sighed, shifting in the uncomfortable hay. Prison was so boring and tedious! He really hated just waiting for something to happen. He couldn't even demand to see Arthur, not unless someone came down for him. What should he do in the meantime? He thought. "Can you tell me about Arthur?"

He heard movement in the neighboring cell. "Really? Like what?"

"I don't know." Alfred said, taking off his glasses and using his cape to clean them. "Anything I guess. I wanna know more stuff about him. I'm bored over here."

There was a hum of compliance, and more movement. It sounded like Francis was amused. "Yes, Arthur does seem to not care at all when it comes to his prisoner's well being, oui?" 

Alfred frowned, clumsily putting his glasses back on. "But I'm down here. According to you, wouldn't he care about that?" He thinks about what he said, and he realized how happy that makes him feel, Arthur, caring about him.

"Well, perhaps you are right. If you complain loudly enough do you think he'll bring some proper bedding?" Francis said, entertaining Alfred's idea

"And some food? I'm starving." Alfred continued on, smiling. He was far from growing accustomed to the idea that Arthur was in love with him, but then again, he still had time to think, and maybe of what to do when the time came when he would talk to Arthur. He wanted to, but what would he say?

"Non, I'm sure he'll feed you sooner or later. You are human, after all. " Francis says dismissively.

Alfred nods, grimacing as his stomach rumbled again. He hadn't eaten since this morning. God, he wanted food. Meat, like something from a pig or a cow. God, he was getting hungrier just imagining it. "What about you? Aren't you hungry?"

"Me? I don't get that kind of hunger. I'm not a human, if you'd remember."

Oh. Oh yeah. Never mind then. He was going to lose his appetite. Maybe Arthur would be the one to bring him food? Wait no, that's what his demon servant army was for. Maybe he really should just demand to see Arthur once one of them finally came down here. "So…. What's Arthur like normally?"

"He's ...complicated," Francis said, humming. "What would you like to know?"

Alfred thought. There were loads of things he wanted to know. Oh god, he was thinking some really messed up stuff now! God, think up something normal to say! "Does Arthur have a pet dragon?" 

Francis snorted into laughter. "I'm sorry?"

Alfred's cheeks reddened. Why did he think that was funny?! All super cool and deadly hot villains had dragons! "Come on! D-Does Arthur had a pet dragon or not?! This is important stuff!"

Francis, however, bursts into laughter. "You really are a child aren't you?"

"Hey! It's not funny! I'm nineteen! Perfectly adult!" Alfred shouts, embarrassed now.

"I have to say, Arthur was right! Your naivety is quite entertaining. Of course he doesn't have a pet dragon." Francis chuckled, lounging on the hay. "Anything else?" 

Alfred's brain stopped "Arthur says stuff about me?"

He hears Francis audibly smile again. "Well, oui, of course he does. Well, when you can get him to. He's usually in too much of a sour mood to tell anyone anything, but yours truly has special privileges, being who I am."

Alfred's cheeks redden from something that isn't embarrassment. Arthur said stuff about him? Like what? Suddenly, he had to know. "Like what? What stuff does he say?"

"Oh, lots of things. He views you higher than anyone I've ever seen. You should be proud of yourself. You would be hard-pressed to find someone Arthur would care about in such a way."

"That's ... depressing." Alfred noted. And to think Arthur was so afraid of him finding out. It must have been torture for him. Every time he thought about Arthur having one of those panic attacks, he felt more and more guilty. Should he feel so bad? He was one who did that to Arthur. He needed to come up with something. And fast. He was a hero.

"Yes, but such is life. No love is true love without a cost." Francis said, shrugging to himself. 

"But doesn't Arthur have, like a family? Or something? He can't be that lonely." Alfred said, in denial. This was beginning to sound really challenging. How badly messed up was Arthur?

"Ah, now that I do not know. Arthur is most secretive about his past, and I know my place not to pry. I'd rather not go down that road." Francis said, sighing. Alfred frowned. Oh geez.

"Oh, sorry I guess," Alfred said, feeling guilty. What could be so bad that he'd be like this?

"It is alright mon ami, curiosity is no sin. However, let us change the subject. I'm afraid I have no more enlightening things to say for that matter."

"Ah, good," Alfred said, smiling in relief.  
Maybe, if things work out, he'll bring Arthur to the castle once he's king. Would he like that? To be free? "So...um...what's Arthur like? You know, on a day to day regular basis?"

Francis hums. "He's very British. He even has scheduled tea times."

"Wow, really?" Alfred suddenly Imagined himself having a tea party with Arthur. How weird. He wondered how happy that would make him. What would that be like? Arthur…happy?

"Yes, he even used to have a collection of tea sets," Francis said, snickering.

Alfred laughed, glad to finally be talking about some positive that involved the grumpy warlock. "That's hilarious. What happened?"

"He added most of them to a ritual of his that called for a collection of shiny treasures for a sacrifice. He was going to summon a unicorn." Francis said in amusement. "It didn't turn out so well."

"Oh wow. I've always wanted to ride a unicorn. You know, like in fairy tales?" Alfred said, picturing it. He'd always thought Arthur only tried to summon evil things, like demons. Then again, he'd suppose he might not be all evil. He did prove to have a heart in there somewhere.

"Yes, well, you need one who is pure and gentle of heart, and let's just say Arthur is far from that." Francis elaborated, smiling. Then he frowns. "I must ask though, what do you plan to do now that I've told you the truth?"

Uh oh. Alfred sighed, face falling. "I don't know, I just wanted to confess my feelings I guess, but it seems too… sudden. What if he thinks I'm like, lying or something?" He wanted so badly to be Arthur's hero, but he had to do this right. He didn't want to hurt the warlock more than he already had.

"Yes, you must tell Arthur how you feel, but it must be in a gentle way. Arthur's, as I said, very complicated. He may not like to admit it, but he is weak when it comes to you. You have to show him you are not a lie. Or you might just make him explode all over again."

"Yeah...I just don't know how to approach him, or if it'll even work. I want to help him because I think I'm in love with him, but I don't want to hurt him again either." Alfred said, bringing his arms up to use them as a sort of pillow for his head. It made for better thinking.

"Yes, I understand, but I have faith, mon ami. I do advise you to be patient though. If anyone has had a hard lot in life, it's him. It'll take him a long time to open up. If you just be patient and show him you mean no harm, I'm sure things will work out." Francis summarized. 

Alfred nodded, staring up at the dirty ceiling. "You know, in the eight hours I've known you, you've turned out to be a pretty nice person."

Francis smirks from where he lays, his pride swelling. "I've just grown to care about my master. He deserves to be happy, despite the terror he has caused."

"Don't worry. I promise his days of misery will be over" Alfred pledged, snuggling into the hay. Now that he was lying down for so long, he felt kinda tired. He wondered what it would be like to sleep in the same bed as Arthur. That was definitely on his bucket list now.

"I trust you," Francis said. "You tired?"

Ha. Yes. "Exhausted. Do you know how long it takes to get from the capital to here on horseback?" Alfred remarked, yawning just to prove it. "I've always wondered what made me think it was worth it to ride up here all the time."

"Oui? And what is that?"

"Arthur."

"Ah. You lovebirds." Francis commented, smirking. "May I bid you goodnight? It is not beauty sleep without comfort."

"Francis, your bed is a pile of hay."

"It can be anything I want as long as I have an Imagination. Good night, mon ami."

"Er...Good night." Alfred called out. Man, how lucky he was to have a roommate? Especially one that could spill all the juicy stuff about his crush that he didn't identify up until now. Now he wished only knew earlier. How long had this gone on for? How long had Arthur been suffering in silence?

Well, now one thing was for sure.

He was going to show to Arthur he had nothing to be afraid of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay yes, I know, It's been a long wait, and I once again apologize as much as I can. Life happens, and I'm happy I finally got back to this fic. I will finish it soon. I have it planned, so now I just have to write. So see you soon! Promise.
> 
> If I don't update quick enough, come antagonize me for stupid reasons at my discord. That'll help.
> 
> Want to chat or make requests? My discord server is always open!  
> https://discord.gg/zPdE9Qe


	4. Savior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred attempts to fix everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was hard to write. It's really quite important, so you know. I tried my best. I'm starting to hate the end of the semester; I have so much on my plate right now. I wanna barf.
> 
> Warning: toxic and self-hatred thoughts, lots of it. Traumatic related content is not for the faint of heart.

_____________

Arthur had no idea what to do now.

He'd messed up yet again. He didn't want Alfred in a dungeon. He didn't know what he wanted, but it wasn't this; keeping his beloved in a place he didn't want to be against his will. He felt terrible, it was like he was reliving the moment when he'd injured him like that. Guilt was eating him alive.

He didn't sleep that night. He couldn't help but stay wide awake, worry and thoughts burning in his head. He felt guilt, shame, hatred. He wanted to hurt something, hurt someone, throw something, or just scream. No matter how hard he tried, he always messed up. No matter how hard he tried, Alfred always seemed to be so far away.

What scared him the most was how close Alfred just came to the truth. It was likely he was only throwing wild guesses, but he had unknowingly hit dead on. It terrified him. It drove him insane. How could the prince guess his deepest darkest secret like that? And so casually as well?!

He nearly burst into tears. When was the last time he had cried? He didn't remember. He didn't want to, not when Alfred was the source. Why did everything have to be so difficult? Why couldn't he stop messing things up like this? He might very well never see Alfred again if he were to let him go. Not after this.

He felt guilt eating him up. What should he do now? Alfred would not forget this, he surely hated him. He imprisoned him! To think he had been almost happy Alfred came to him on his own accord, it killed him inside about what he had done. He'd hurt Alfred, he outright refused to answer his questions, and now he'd thrown him in the dungeons! He was treading very thin ice.

Until now, he had walked a very careful trail. He had guarded his dirty secret like his own life, for if Alfred found out, it was game over.  
He didn't know how long he could play this game, how long he could keep indulging himself with his true love's presence, but he wanted to do it as long as he could. Was this the end? What would happen when he let Alfred go? Will he leave and never return, too disgusted or fed up with Arthur to continue?

For one moment, wide awake and hidden under his velvet covers, he wonders if he should just keep Alfred here. But then what? He might as well feed him that love potion too. He didn't want to force the prince to be here with him. It'll remind him of his childhood, it'll bury him alive with guilt, it'll be his undoing. The one thing he wanted was Alfred's real love, and he'll never have it. Ot was the very reason why this game of his had begun.

Now? He had no idea if it'll even continue. It broke his heart, it was like falling in love with Alfred all over again. It was just like fearing Alfred would find out his secret. He couldn't keep him here, he didn't want to, but he might not see him again. Would he? He didn't know. It would be nice, having Alfred in his home, free to see him whenever he liked, but one piece was missing, and it would be an ugly reminder of how unlovable he was.

He had to let him go. He had to. He could not keep Alfred in the dungeons like that, it held no purpose. He'd even thrown him in there on accident; he'd had a panic attack and exploded on him. Perhaps if he weren't so horrible, he'd be able to keep his cover better, but he was who he was. Someone Alfred would never love. Someone who will always be hated by his own kind.

He rolled over, uncomfortable as his aching eyes stared at the ceiling, so he stared at the wall instead. He'd dream time and time again of Alfred being his lover, countless peaceful mornings, waking up to Alfred at his side. It would be heaven, it would be something the warlock could never faithfully imagine. He'd never do it justice through his mind. Oh, how he wished that was a reality.

What if this really was the end? What if, in the morning, once he released Alfred with whatever false purpose he'd be sure to come up with, Alfred does not come back? The prince had plenty of reasons to. It was a growing deadly parasite on Arthur's back, eating him raw and filling him with fear. He didn't want it to be true, but it might. He'd made one step too much, one step too far; Alfred was sure to be quite fed up with him. Anyone would, anyone should be. He deserved it.

He didn't want this game to end. Desperately. He didn't want to say good-bye. It would kill him. What chance would there be that Alfred will come back? When he causes trouble again, or perhaps repeats the infamous villain stereotype and kidnaps the princess yet again? Would Alfred come back, despite all of his recent mistakes? Perhaps he would, out of nobility and loyalty to his King and Queen, but even still, would it be the same? Would it ever be like before, before Arthur had to be such a miserable little arse and fuck everything up?

Only time will tell, which is the only conclusion sleepless Arthur could come to. First thing in the morning he'd release Alfred. He'd come up with some kind of excuse; say he pitted him or was just messing with him. Actually, he favored the former. The former was much better.

He sighs, starting up at the highly detailed walls. Why did things have to be this way? What if this could just go on forever? Him and Alfred fighting, no questions or ideas, until the end of time? He'd never have to watch Alfred leave, never dread the moment when he might find out his secret, when he'd laugh or sneer and leave. It was quite a bit childish, but he did all of this for a reason. He was unlovable, especially to Alfred. He couldn't let this end, but he had failed. He knew he had, and now he had no choice but to simply just live and let Alfred go and hope he'd come back once he got back to work again. He desperately didn't want to, but the alternative would kill him.

Freak. Right. Unlovable. Intolerable. A complete villain. No human would ever want to love him. Not Alfred, and not anyone else, and really, Alfred was what mattered to him. _If Alfred wouldn't, why anyone else? He was a warlock, a villain, a monster. A freak. **Freak. Unlovable. Pitiless.**_

_**Worthless. Freak.** _

That was him.

___________________

"H-Hey! Wait! Don't leave yet!" Alfred yelled, desperate not to let the god damn demon leave.

The demon servant turns around, glaring at the prince behind bars with beady little red eyes. "What do you want?" He asked gruffly, clearly irritated that the human continued to bother him.

Alfred sighed in relief. His heart sped up as he grabbed at the bars of his cell. He was not ready for this, oh no, not in a million years, but never in the same amount of time would he wait. "I have to see Arthur. Now." He hesitated. "Please."

But the demon servant only raised an eyebrow."I was ordered to bring you a morning meal, I really could care less about what else you want. Now, if you'd please." The demon sneered, turning away to leave.

What an ass! "You jerk! I wanna see your master! Please? It's really, really important!" Alfred shouted, standing. He was hungry, starving, considering he wasn't fed at all last night, but he could hardly care. He needed to confront Arthur now. He will not wait. He will chew through the bars if he has to.

The demon glares, not a thing about it being human, despite his appearance. "No. Now quit your whining or I'll cut out your tongue."

"I dare hope I didn't just hear you threaten to break orders, Cedric."

Alfred's eyes widened as Arthur came down the stairs, his presence weighing on the room. Oh, thank god! Alfred was so scared he'd have to wait down here again! The demon fell back, immediately trying to cover himself.

"M-Master Arthur! " Cedric said nervously. "I-I was just trying to get him to stop. He won't shut up! He's been yelling at me since I got down here!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow, turning his head to the prince. His heart dropped at the sight of Alfred in a cell, his doing. He had imprisoned this blessing upon humanity, why did he do that? Why must be so hateable? He manages flawlessly to hide the internal suffering, pulling a poker face. "Oh really, and why is that?"

Alfred's mind sped up. This was it. Well, this wasn't how he imagined confessing love. He'd always thought he'd not be in a jail cell, and maybe some roses too. Oh well. It was now or never. "I needed to talk to you. Please?"

"You already are." Arthur deadpanned, however, he was already beginning to hide his fear. What on earth was he so desperate to talk about with him? He hadn't…? No, don't panic Arthur, not again. Remain calm. Remain calm.

Oh god damn it, stupid villain. "It's not like that! It's…" Alfred glances over at the demon servant still standing there. "It's really important, private even. I want that guy to leave the room."

Arthur furrows his brow, confused and anxious. Oh no, did he really find out? No, it can't be! No, there's no need to panic. He will not mess up again. "In case you've forgotten, you're a prisoner. You hardly have the right to be making demands." Oh gosh, he didn't want to call Alfred that, he wanted him to be free. Why must he drag this out?

Alfred groaned in impatience. He knew Arthur wasn't all bad, why did he have to keep acting like it? How did they end up like this? "Oh, come on! Please? It's…." He sighed. No, not yet. Remember what Francis said. He must take this slow. He will not hurt Arthur anymore. "Just...please?"

Arthur internally grimaces as those childish features contort, and Arthur is met with the expression of a begging puppy. Oh no, he couldn't stand that! Ugh! "Fine." If he got this over with, he can finally let Alfred go and be left with his feelings alone again. His unending fate. "Cedric, leave."

The demon minion seemed very much ready to protest, but he swallows his pride and grumbles, shuffling away and up the stairs.

"I did what you asked, now what do you want?" Arthur said, eyeing Alfred. He realizes now this must be the first time they've had a real conversation. How sad. He'd had to throw Alfred in jail just to get this to happen. He pushes that thought down. Not now.

Alfred hesitates yet again, gazing at Arthur. He looked so gorgeous, now that he was fully aware of what the warlock was to him. He sighs, looking down at the bars his hands' grip around. Would it be too much to ask Arthur to let him out? "Can you maybe...let me out first...please?"

Did Alfred sound nervous? No, you're too paranoid, Arthur. He will not hurt Alfred again. He swallows down the fear and walks closer, brow furrowed. "Why should I? Do you really think I'm just going to give you that chance to escape?" It didn't matter if he wanted to let him go, he couldn't show that. It meant showing weakness.

"I just…." Patience. Alfred huffs, leaning against the bars. How should he do this? "This is serious. Please. I promise I won't try to escape. Besides, do you really think I'm gonna get past you and your army without a weapon?"

He had a point, Arthur muses, eyeing Alfred carefully. Although he couldn't tell what was going on, or what was about to happen. He was already praying it won't be the worst. He didn't want this game to end. He pretends to pull a reluctant face, lifting his hand. Within seconds, the cell door magically swung open.

Alfred smiled in relief, making Arthur's stomach churn. He backed away as Alfred slowly walks out, his eyes roaming over Alfred's dirty clothes. Had he expected something worse during the prince's time here? "If you keep demanding things, I will simply take my leave. Now, if you have no more petty preferences, what do you want?"

Alfred swallowed. How should he say this? He didn't know how! This was seriously crazy! What if he messes up? What if Francis was lying?! He feels bile crawl up his throat as his mind searches frantically for the right words. "I-I…."

"Well?" Arthur says sharply, turning pink, which is thankfully hidden by the makeup surrounding his eyes. "I don't have all day."

"L-Listen.." Alfred began nervously, trying not to panic as Arthur lifted an eyebrow. Was he really that uncaring, or did he fear what he was about to say? No, be brave Alfred. Heroes are brave. Right. "I-I just wanted to say that … I'm sorry."

Sorry? What? "Sorry?" Arthur repeated slowly. Oh no, this wasn't going where he feared it was going, was it? He wasn't ready for that...no, there's no way. Arthur, please stop worrying. It'll be fine.

"Y-Yeah...I just." He feels guilt and bile and anxiety crawling up his throat. "I'm sorry that I caused you so much pain. I'm sorry that all this time I didn't know you were suffering so badly. If only I'd known...I would've realized sooner that I…"

"W-What are you…?" Arthur said, beginning to panic beyond control. No, it cannot be. There was no way. He couldn't of….. How on earth? No, please don't panic Arthur. His legs felt liquidized as he stepped back, trying so hard not to panic, not to hurt Alfred again.

"I know now. I…. know why you keep causing trouble, why you've been kidnapping Amelia all the time, and why you've been so scared..." Alfred continued, starting to get more nervous as he saw how quickly Arthur's evil demeanor was vanishing. This was way harder than he thought. "Arthur, I-"

"N-No. N-No you don't." Arthur stammered, backing away. _Freak. Freak. **Freak.**_ No, not Alfred too. Please, not Alfred. He won't be able to stand it, not again. He was already sounding so pathetic, so vulnerable. Please don't turn Alfred away, not him.

The prince felt his heart drop as he watched Arthur's mental stability deplete so quickly. He hadn't really even said anything. He wanted so badly to just hurry up and wrap his arms around the poor guy. "Arthur, just listen, please? Don't freak out yet. I'm not going to hurt you." He tried to approach the quivering warlock, but the man seemed to be all of the sudden terrified of the other.

Hurt him? _Lies. **Lies.** **Just wait, he can't wait to burst out laughing about how he'll never love a freak like you.**_ He panics as Alfred walks closer. "H-How could you possibly know anything about how I feel? H-How?!" He managed, trying not to sound so scared, so weak, but he simply cannot keep it together. His worst fear was coming true.

"One of your servants was down here. They told me." Alfred said, not wanting to drag Francis into this. He tried again to reach Arthur, to prove to him that he had nothing to fear, that Alfred loved him back and will show him as much, but Arthur backed away like a mouse cornered by a feline. "Please, if you could just-"

"No! Stay away from me!" Arthur shouted, flinching as the back of his boot hit the beginning of the staircase. _**He'll leave you just like everyone else, abandon you, hate you. You don't deserve Alfred. Freaks doing deserve anything. Unlovable, worthless in all ways, just like they all say. He'll never want you. Watch! He's about to prove it!**_

Why wasn't Arthur fighting back? If he were so afraid of Alfred hurting him, then why…? "Please don't be scared, Arthur. Please, I'm not going to try to hurt you. I just want to talk to you."

Don't be scared? That was what everyone said. That was what his father said. **_Don't be scared. Don't be scared as they all call you names and laugh. Being scared only makes it worse. Being scared will only make Alfred hate you more._ He doesn't want Alfred to hate him.**

His heart jumps as Alfred comes closer still. His other foot hits the staircase and an instinct began to fight its way into his brain. Should he? Should he run again like the coward he was? The coward everyone knew he was? He couldn't think straight. _**Of course, you can't. Useless freak**._

Alfred suddenly realizes all too soon that Arthur might try to make a run for It. "Arthur, please! Just listen!" He tries to come closer, a gesture that he only wanted to help, that he would never want to hurt Arthur ever again, but he'd gone too far for the traumatized warlock.

 _Freak! **Freak! FREAK!**_ Arthur feels tears threatening to spill as he jumps away, desperate to not let Alfred touch him, desperate to not let him hurt him, insult him, leave him. _Just like the freaks like him deserve. Just like you deserve. **Run, go ahead, show him how scared you are, how weak you are, how much of an unlovable freak you are!**_ _ **It.**_

Alfred's heart seizes in his throat as Arthur suddenly fled, dashing up the stairs, his breathing so short, it scared the prince to death.

"Arthur!" Alfred shouted, tripping over the stone stairs as he tried to run after him. No, he could not let him do this! Why won't he just listen?! "Arthur, please! Wait!"

But Arthur did not stop, not even as Alfred pleaded with him to slow down. Why wasn't Arthur trying to fight him? Why was he so scared? Why won't he listen? He dashed up the stairs, yelping as Arthur suddenly took action and slammed the door in his face.

God damm it! "Arthur, please stop!" He yelled, throwing the heavy door open, only to see Arthur still running, his black cloak billowing around him. He ran after him, fully willing to chase the fleeing warlock all over the damned castle if he has to because god damn it, he was going to be Arthur's hero.

Arthur had reached another door, but not before turning back and trying to slam it again, but this time Alfred caught the door in his hand, faltering as he saw Arthur's face. He looked ready to cry, his terrified expression was devastating. "Arthur, plea-"

"S-Stay away from me!" Arthur screeched, flinging magic at Alfred. The prince hissed in pain, falling back long enough for the warlock to slam the door in his face, running away again.

Alfred was not going to give up. Alfred didn't even glance at his injured hands as he quickly got back up, grabbing the door and flinging it open, ready to chase the poor warlock again, only to find he was still there, crouched in the middle of the halls.

Alfred's heart threatened to spill onto the floor as he looked at Arthur's shaking form. He was glad he had stopped running, but this was worse. He never wanted to see the warlock cry. He seemed so incapable, so in control, and the fact that he was the reason for this, that the idea that he may not love the warlock back tore up Arthur so badly only made it worse. So, so much worse.

He wanted to cry right there along with Arthur. No, he had to be strong. Heroes crying don't solve anything. He sighed and slowly began to walk toward the quivering warlock, expecting him to fight back and fling some more magic at him, to teleport away or try to run again, but it was heartbreaking to just watch him do nothing as Alfred walked up to him, coming to rest at his side.

He apprehensively crouched down next to the warlock. "Arthur?" He said quietly. "Please, don't run away again. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to hate you. Please. Just let me explain."

Miraculously, Arthur didn't run, but what happened was much worse. Alfred fought back a look of horror as Arthur broke into a sobbing mess. "Arthur?"

**_Freak! What are you doing?! You're making it worse! Alfred will only think worse of you now. Nobody loves a sobbing helpless freak._ **But he couldn't stop. He didn't want Alfred to hate him. He didn't want this. He had even hurt him, and for what? To delay the inevitable? "P-Please don't hate me…"

It was so broken, Alfred barely heard it, but he did. He sighed, trying to pull a reassuring smile, but it was hard as the warlock was sobbing and breathing so hard. "Oh, Arthur…..I don't hate you."

 _Lies! **Lies!** **LIES! What a freak. Freaks don't get love. Don't be a fool, hadn't being evil taught you anything? Foolish freak!**_ "Y-yes you do...don't lie. D-don't lie to me." He sobbed, the idea of him crying in front of Alfred only making him want to cry more. He had failed. Now he was going to lose Alfred, now he was going to lose the love of his life.

"I don't lie to people, Arthur," Alfred said, scooting closer. He realizes that was a lie. "Well, of course, I do, but I would never lie to you, Arthur. That's horrible of me. You don't deserve that."

_He's lying. You deserve everything horrible you useless freak. Why else does everyone hate you? **You're a freak, born a freak and will die a freak. Alfred can't love you, he's lying. Grow up, Arthur.**_ "Stop...Stop it…."

What Alfred did next crashed Arthur's broken world. The prince lunged forward and wrapped him up in a bone-crushing hug without a word. Arthur froze, instantly rigid. What was he...? Why was he doing this? _Freak! **Freak!** **FREAK! St**_ _ **op it! Stop it! Stop being so weak!**_ "W-wha…"

"It's going to be okay, Arthur," Alfred whispered as calmly as he could, trying his best to soothe the sobbing warlock. "I'm right here, I won't leave. I promise. I'm here for you."

I-I-I….y-you…." Arthur stuttered, unable to form a sentence as years worth of held back tears overflowed his eyes. _Nobody loves the freak. **He's just pitying you. Don't show him weakness!**_

"Don't worry, Arthur. I promise I won't hurt you. I'm here. I won't leave. I'm not going to hate you." Alfred reassured him, holding him tightly but tenderly. If it was going to take Arthur sobbing his heart out onto Alfred's shoulder to calm him, then so be it. Alfred was more than willing.

No, this Isn't right. Why was Alfred caring for him? Alfred was the enemy, he hated him! He should be laughing, sneering, leaving, not holding him! He couldn't understand. He wanted to defend himself, show him he was still the same evil warlock the prince always faced, but the warmth of Alfred's big strong arms and the thought he was about to lose him made him want to do nothing else but continue crying.

Alfred felt instant relief as Arthur's shaking hands latched onto his shoulders, his head burying itself into his chest, the warlock apparently taking full advantage of Alfred being there. Alfred smiled a little on the inside, happy about the sign that Arthur might finally begin to believe that the other really, truly wasn't going to turn around and leave him

Arthur didn't know if this truly was pity, but he suddenly didn't care. Alfred was holding him, really holding him, letting Arthur cry on his shoulder. He didn't want to lose Alfred, even if he was never his to lose in the first place. He didn't want to be alone, just like before, just like when his father had abandoned him, him and his utter freakishness. _Not even your own blood wanted you around. Shameful._ **Stop crying, you fool.Stop crying! Stop!**

Neither of them knew how much time had passed as Arthur cried and cried on Alfred's shoulder, but Alfred didn't care much. He didn't know how, but it seemed to him Arthur hadn't cried in a very long time, or had anyone to comfort him like this. It was really sad, and Alfred wanted to keep holding him like this, keep making him feel safe, warm. He really is warm, like his mother. Wow….

Finally, Arthur's breathing began to slow back down to normal length, his sobs subsiding into whimpers. Alfred kept holding him, letting him cry as long as he wanted to. He cared little about his clothes; now soaked with the other's tears and ruined makeup. He didn't dare talk to him until he was ready, knowing anything could make things worse.

Arthur's crying finally felt controllable. He swallowed a sob for the first time in what felt like forever, finally forming the strength to find words. "W-Why …. W-Why are you comforting me…?"

Alfred's lips formed a small smile, infinitely glad to finally be able to answer that question, his world filling with excitement and anxiety as he searched for the words. "Because… I love you, Arthur. I love you with all my heart. I wouldn't just leave you here."

Love…? Love? _No, impossible. Impossible. He lies. **Don't let him do this you useless freak.**_ It cannot be. "B-But...Love..?"

"Yes,I love you, Arthur." Alfred repeated, smiling. "I'm so sorry I didn't know sooner, I could've helped you, could've stopped this."

Arthur's world filled with denial. A perfect prince like him? Loving a useless, shameful freak like him? Why? Was this some trick? It cannot be! It just can't! "You…B-But I' m not…."

Alfred frowned, fearing the worst might come out of those perfect lips. "Not what?" Alfred asked slowly, carefully.

"You can't love me...I'm…" He almost bursts into a new round of sobs at the thought of saying it out loud. "I-I'm a freak."

Alfred shook his head immediately. It was horribly depressing how little Arthur truly thought of himself. He was always so confident, a smirk always on his face. Was all of that truly just a show? "You're not a freak, Arthur. Far from it. I can't not love you."

Not a freak? Not a freak? When was the last time he'd heard that? Not since his mother…. He whimpered, swallowing more endless snot. "B-But I am...nobody wants me...It's why...I can't…"

"Last I checked, freaks meant heartless beings with rotting teeth and stuff. " Alfred said, rubbing Arthur's back. He really was so small when like this, wrapped up in his cloak he kept so many secrets in. "You're beautiful. You're the most gorgeous things I've ever seen, and you're far from heartless."

"N-No." Arthur cried, not being able to dare to hope he would ever be lovable. He had heard those hateful words since he was young...could they really be...wrong? It cannot be. "I-I'm a warlock. I'm heartless, I'm horrible. I-I've hurt you. Y-you should hate me. You shouldn't want to be here."

"You're not heartless." Alfred pressed, determined to make him see how Alfred saw him. "You've never hurt me if you could help it. I know, you even ordered your demon army not to harm me too much. You wouldn't. I know so."

Arthur swallowed again, arms gripping Alfred's sleeves so hard his knuckles were turning white. "R-really?" Arthur muttered shakily, not ready to believe, fully expecting Alfred to up and leave him. Why shouldn't he? _Everyone else did. No one can stand you. Freak. **Freak. They all want you dead.**_

"Yes, really. I promise you. I love you. I love you and your bright green eyes, your little freckles. Even with that makeup, you look beautiful. It makes your eyes stand out even more. I love seeing you, even if we're fighting. I promise, I just wish I realized sooner." Alfred's hand moved up to Arthur's shoulder, treading lightly. "I would never hate you."

"B-But.." Arthur couldn't stop. Why was he telling him so much? Did Alfred really love him? All he said was true? But… "They all hate me...even…" Too much. Too much. He will never give those bastards the satisfaction even if they were right. "Nobody's wanted me. You c-can't say that. You can't."

"I want you," Alfred said firmly, his injured hand finding Arthur's cheek. He rubbed it, feeling its dampness from tears and ruined makeup.

"D-do you really…? B-But…" Arthur said, his world lighting up, but it was still so dark. He wanted to believe Alfred, oh so badly, but what if this wasn't all real? What if this is all fake? Everyone knew he was unlovable, what made Alfred so different? So determined to make him hope? After all of this time in the dark? Really?

"Yes. I do." Alfred answered, rubbing the warlock's cheek. Arthur hesitantly met Alfred's eyes, his world lighting on fire at the sight of those endless blue eyes.

"This isn't some trick…i-is it?" Arthur said hesitantly, feeling his mind burn with anxiety as his stomach twisted knots, so lost and so broken.

"Trick? God, no. I would never do that. " He thought of something. Something to prove it. Prove he really did love Arthur, really wasn't going to leave him. "I won't leave you alone. I wouldn't. I'll stay here with you."

Stay? With him? "B-but...the kingdom...you're the prince…" Wouldn't he miss his parents? Amelia? His people? He was not worth that. He was worth so much less. Alfred shouldn't be doing this. How could he really love him?

"They won't miss me. I'll go back one day, but not until you stop thinking all this. Not until I've shown you how much I love you. I'm going to give you all the love you've been missing all these years." Was he making the right decision? Arthur needed him. Besides, he felt freer around Arthur than anywhere back at home. Maybe he'd miss Amelia, but his fake parents? Ha. What a joke. They'd worry, sure, but he didn't care. Arthur was far more Important.

"I-I…. I...I can't…" Arthur swallowed. He didn't know what else to say. After all, he had done, with all he was, Alfred loved him? Really, truly loved him? Was willing to put his whole life aside for him? Really?

"Don't mention it," Alfred said, stroking Arthur's chin with his thumb. He wanted so badly to kiss those lips...but not yet...wouldn't it be to quickly? Too much? Too soon? But even so, he felt he really needed to. No, he could settle. He leaned down and pecked Arthur's wet cheek, bringing their faces closer. "I love you."

Alfred repeated those words over and over again into Arthur's ear, his face rubbing against his own. Arthur himself whimpered, unable to contain himself. He wanted this to last forever, Alfred holding him like this. It was so warm.

"P-Promise you won't leave? Promise you're not lying?" Arthur murmured quietly, his tears finally coming to a halt. At long last, he surrendered to what he did not know.

"I promise," Alfred said firmly.

_______________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still have that discord server! Still, always open! I still would love to talk.  
> https://discord.gg/zPdE9Qe


	5. Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alfred slowly begins to earn Arthur's trust, as Arthur slowly begins to trust Alfred and lets his love become a reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned to get this done by the end of December, but it was just simply not possible. I got hit with semester finals and the holidays and then the flu surprise attacked me from behind. Stuff happened. 
> 
> This chapter is a mostly slow build. Lots of dialogue and Arthur's thoughts and stuff
> 
> Warning: depressing thoughts, self-hatred, and trauma.

______

What happened afterward was a blur for Arthur.

He vaguely remembers being in Alfred's arms a while longer, even after he had no more tears to spill. He felt so reluctant to leave his arms, fearing if he were to ever loosen his hold, he'd leave. He then recalls Alfred inquiring about what comes next, and then something about food, and that had led to this, Arthur numbly leading Alfred through the halls, his cloak gone, holding his hand so tightly that he might just snap the prince's fingers.

Was Alfred really serious? Was he really going to stay? With him? Here? It just….it seemed so unlikely. Alfred was royalty, and yet he would so willingly stay here, in the company of magic and conditions lesser than anything he'd been accompanied with, just to prove how much he...loved him?

He had so many questions, so many fears, and so much wandering throughout this head, and yet he was scared to say anything. It was almost as if he said a thing, Alfred might turn on him. He still couldn't even believe that he was here, holding his hand, holding a promise that'll he'll love him. How? How could this be possible? He couldn't believe it.

And even if Alfred was deluded into loving Arthur the failure, the mistake, won't he just turn into yet another mistake? As Arthur walked, the obvious thought came to mind. Wouldn't Alfred have seconds thoughts, once he got to spend time with the person he proclaimed love for? He wanted so badly to just trust Alfred, and it was so hard. Alfred was the love of his life; half the reason why he kept going anymore, but what proof does he have that he wouldn't be just as sane as everyone else was?

Sane and smart enough to leave him behind. _Sane enough to know a lost cause freak when he saw one. Just wait, the second he knows just how cruel you are, just how evil, just how freakishly hopeless, **he'll realize what a mistake he'd made. What a mistake you are. You'll see.**_ No, he didn't want that to be true. He wanted so badly for what Alfred said to become true.

"Hey, um, Arthur?"

Arthur froze, his hand squeezing Alfred's. "Hm…?"

"Where are we going?" Alfred asked, smiling nervously. "You have kinda been leading down here with no context."

"I believe you said you were hungry. I'm leading you to the kitchens." Arthur said quietly. It should any door now. He wasn't quite familiar with the workrooms of his home, seeing as he had servants to do work for him, but he had a general idea of where the kitchen was. Perhaps he should call one to prepare a meal for Alfred….

No. Not with Alfred around. Was he stupid? Not only did he dread the idea of anyone but Alfred seeing him in this state, but just how far did Alfred's promises stretch? Would seeing such snippets of what Arthur might truly be, of what the prince was yet to see, damage Alfred's so-called commitment, even if it were there in the first place? Surely Alfred had somewhat of a rose-tinted view of Arthur. How else would he love…. him?

_Freak. Freak. **Freak. Freak.**_

Well, that was it then. He would cook then. When was the last he had cooked? _Idiot. What is this? Some feeble attempt to make Alfred stick around? For you? **Freakish idiot. You never learn.**_ No, shut. He can't act up again. He already broke once in front of Alfred of all people. He must remain calm. He is extremely lucky that his beloved prince is even trying. He mustn't test what may already be fragile waters.

"Arthur, you alright there?"

Arthur flinched, not used to having Alfred in such company. His frightened face turned and met with Alfred's, the strength that could've hidden his unstable emotions long gone.

"I-I….." He turns, spotting the doors that must lead to the kitchens. "Kitchens are this way." He said instead, trying to ignore the dark twists and scenarios his mind kept dreaming up, all ending with Alfred not understanding, Alfred leaving, Arthur left alone just like the freak he is.

"Um, yeah, so you're not okay," Alfred concluded awkwardly, smiling nervously. The hand around Arthur's tightens, and it takes all of Arthur's strength not to give in to his long-hidden desires. "You don't have to hide from me you know. I promised I'd be here for you."

"What do you not already know?" Arthur murmured, trying to conquer his trembling hands as he reached for the doorknob. Why was he still so fragile? Alfred didn't need to see him like this! Alfred didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve him.

"Do you have a pet dragon?" Alfred asked suddenly.

Arthur paused, turning to look at the prince. "Pardon me?"

"Francis said you didn't have a dragon. You know, he might be lying. So, like do you really? Or was he telling the truth?" Alfred asked hopefully.

A dragon? Honestly? Was he serious? "No," Arthur said shortly, unable to keep passive at Alfred's bright and heartwarming face. Wait… "You've met Francis?"

"Oh...um, yeah," Alfred said, scratching his neck with his free hand. "He was down there with me. He was cool. Had a lot to say."

Arthur only made a face. Francis? But Francis was… "He wasn't too much trouble, was he?"

Alfred paused. "Is he usually?" He asked, confused.

Yes. Francis was...well, Francis. "He often sticks his nose where it does not belong." And continues to be an eyesore upon humanity. Then again, for years, he had also been the only soothing in his unending heart-aching existence.

"Yeah. I could tell." Alfred said shrugging. "I'm glad he was down there with me though."

"Why ...?" Arthur said, confusion drawing his face.

"Because now I get to be your hero," Alfred said, smiling warmly at Arthur.

Arthur was unable to move, mind going blank. What…? "I-I…" Arthur, in need of a hero? That's…. Did Alfred really care? He can't. _So what if he thinks he does, he has no idea who he's dealing with. He'll learn. And then he'll make the right choice. **Grow up you freak.**_ He turns away and opens the heavy kitchen door. "How hungry are you?"

"Oh. Um, starving I guess." Alfred said, laughing a little to himself. "Haven't eaten since yesterday."

Arthur immediately felt guilt. "I apologize."

Alfred only shook his head and smiled. "You don't need to. It's fine."

 _No, it's not. He lies._ "R-Right…." His hand does not dare let go of the prince's as they walk in together, Arthur growing more and more fearful as Alfred grasps more and more sneak peeks of what goes on in Arthur's life other than heartbreaking pining and kidnapping Princess Amelia. "Any preferences?"

"Oh...are you going to cook?" Alfred suddenly asked, realization seeming to dawn on him.

"Yes," Arthur said shortly, cheeks growing red under his stained makeup. God. Why must Alfred do these things to him?

"Arthur...wait, you shouldn't have to," Alfred said, tugging on the warlock's hand. "You just cried your little innocent heart out and you want to cook for me?"

Innocent? Little? Arthur's cheeks blazed more. "I-I….I-I'm fine. You've already had to put up with me. It's the least I wish to do."

"Put up with you?" Alfred protested, and Arthur widens his eyes, the whole concept of the prince thinking so much higher of him than what Arthur may have been worth still very astronomical to him. "Bullcrap, Arthur. Come on, you don't have to do anything right now, especially not cook for silly little me."

Silly little him? What....? "I-I...N-Now, see here-" Arthur began.

"No, you see here." Alfred interrupted, gently pulling on Arthur's hand to get him to stop walking. "You are not cooking right now. End of story."

On any other occasion where the prince protested against him, it would've ended with some snide remark and a blast of magic aimed at the face, but minutes ago Arthur had crashed into Alfred's arms and now they had no more secrets. Now? "A-Alfred…" Arthur said weakly.

"You're stubborn, aren't you?" Alfred said, chuckling.

"You can talk." Arthur snarked, blushing redder and redder, no makeup or lies to hide it. Wait, oh no. Is he annoying him…? God! "S-Sorry, If you really think..."

"Huh?"

"If you don't want me to that badly…" Arthur said, realizing he so easily could've been making Alfred change his mind. _You're an idiot. Such an idiot. It's a miracle that Alfred is even trying._

"Oh...gosh, don't be sorry," Alfred said suddenly, looking so guilty now that it crashed what made sense in Arthur's world. "Hey, you know what?"

"What..?"

"We can both cook, you know," Alfred said brightly.

Arthur only faltered. "What ...?" Alfred would suggest such a thing? But… "Wouldn't you rather just sit down…?"

"Why?" Alfred asked, frowning.

Why? Why?? "Because you're royalty. Surely you'd prefer it that way." Surely, he would, and surely Arthur was going delusional again and should stop dreaming up a scene of them cooking together.

"Ha, that's stupid," Alfred said, sniggering. "I'd prefer to help you actually. That's much more important. And fun."

"I-I…." Arthur had no real argument. "I suppose ... if you really want to."

"Yeah," Alfred said, smiling, and then he reaches down and pinches one of Arthur's cheeks. "After we get your face all cleaned up, sweet cheeks."

Arthur blushed furiously, almost half in mind to slap the hand away. But it's Alfred's hand, so naturally, he can't.

An hour later, there's a table full of hot food, and Arthur looking at the mirror, face clean.

Oh, yes, and pondering what the hell was going on.

Alfred was in his house. Alfred thought he loved him. What utter…. Alfred claimed he loved him. After all this time, after so much time in misery and then the second Arthur fears he may lose Alfred for good, he declares his love and makes Arthur's world spin around his head. Alfred loves him? Loves a person like him? Someone who represents everyone he grew up around hated?

 _He's only fallen in love with the idea of you. Just wait until you get back to work. **He won't like you. We'll see.** And then he'll come to his senses._ Go back to work? With Alfred here? Well, why did he feel so unenthused to do that? And now it wasn't even that Alfred would see, it was just that he was here. Now that Alfred was here, was there a point now?

 _Yes, yes there is. Stop being a useless, freak._ Take over the world? But what did he want? He already had Alfred. _No, you don't. Imagine if he knew you wanted to hurt his parents. He'll be enraged. **Rightfully so. You're no cute little rabbit. Freak.**_

"Artie? Ya gonna keep staring at the mirror like that? Ya' gonna eat?"

Oh. Wait, what? Arthur turns around to face the prince. "What… did you just call me?"

Alfred smiled. "Oh! Um, it's just a nickname. I thought it sounded cute."

Arthur's stomach twisted knots. Cute? Nicknames? He knew them to have good intentions, but the only time he ever was given one of those was when ...never mind. "Er...thanks."

"Yeah, there's gonna be a lot more where that came from," Alfred said, winking like an idiot. "Okay, now it's food time." He grabs at a loaf of clumsily made bread.

Oh god, Arthur made that all on his own! "Are you sure…?" He panicked as Alfred bites off a chunk.

"What?"

What? Surely he was already tasting how bad it was? "I-I ...I'm sorry if it's bad…"

"Bad? Don't be so worried, it's fine." Alfred said, swallowing. "Eh, could use some spice, but bread is bread, I guess."

Arthur only watches in confusion. But… he knew it was bad. He hadn't touched a cooking pot since he was a child. He knew it had to of been bad, and Alfred thought it was fine..? He remembers cooking worse than this but then...his mother thought he was fine, but…

"Artie? Do you want some?"

The warlock blushes and sits down with Alfred. Fine, he'll question it when he's not with Alfred. Perhaps the prince just had no taste buds. He stares as Alfred keeps on chewing, who surprisingly, seemed to have little to no table manners. "You eat like a cow," Arthur muttered, swearing that not even when he was a peasant, did he ever eat like that.

"Yeah, I know. My step folks hate it." Alfred said. He pauses. "Does it bug you?"

Arthur immediately shook his head. "No, but you've grown up in a palace. Wouldn't you of been taught better?"

"Eh. They tried, but it doesn't help when the people you hate are teaching you." Alfred said, shrugging.

Wait… "Step folks?" Arthur questions. That wasn't how he heard it.

"Yeah? My stepmother and stepfather. The queen and king. Whatever." Alfred said. "A charming pair."

"Oh, I'm sure," Arthur said, but his mind is still in such disarray. "You're still their son, aren't you?"

"Not by blood, no," Alfred said. "Between me and you, that's a good thing. You don't want to meet those two, much less be related to them. They are the definition of everything wrong with humanity."

Wow. Okay. Arthur wasn't expecting this. _This won't change anything. He'll still hate you. Once he finds out, he'll know it's better to leave freaks like you alone._

"Remember that one time you sent a bunch of ogres to starve out the nearby villages and stuff?" Alfred spoke up, mouth full of food.

Arthur raised a nervous eyebrow. Was he talking his past deeds leisurely? "I believe those were trolls, Alfred. Ogres usually don't take orders from humans."

"Oh. Sorry, I don't know the difference." Alfred said, shrugging and continuing his display at below average table manners.

"Trolls are much shorter and prefer to live below the ground." Arthur said, keeping a frown. Not to mention both didn't have any real summoning means to speak of. You had to go looking for them.

"Oh. Weird. It was quite eventful though. It was a lot of fun. They look so funny when they're running with their little legs." Alfred continued on, grinning between mouthfuls. "Why did you find interest in starving out villages? I was never quite sure."

He was trying to keep them away from his territory so he had more room to build his army. It was one of the many tasks he carried out for more reasons other than drawing out Alfred. He needn't tell Alfred all that, right? Too much sensitive information. It has to be. "They were settling far too close to my territory. I don't want angry mobs disrupting my work." Arthur muttered. Well, it was half the truth.

"Okay. Not judging." Alfred said. Arthur realized the prince was a remarkably fast eater. He looked down and saw the food disappearing at an uncanny rate. He didn't know whether to feel fondness or annoyance. Or complete confusion about why he wasn't judging. Shouldn't he at the very least ...?

The warlock swallows. "How long do you plan on staying?" He said quietly. He shouldn't have asked. He was tempting fate.

"However long I need to," Alfred said firmly. "Why?"

Arthur hesitates, frowning. Why did Alfred seem so determined? Didn't he know what he was dealing with? Did he think he was gonna fix this? _Once he gets an idea of just how much of a broken freak you are, he'll give up._ "Won't you ...?"

"Won't I what?" Alfred asked, frowning with him.

Arthur furrowed his brow, mind much more confused now. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. Surely your folks at home will worry about you."

"No. They will, but I don't care. You don't need to worry about me." Alfred said. "I don't need you to worry about all that, we need to worry about you."

Worry about him? "M-me?" Arthur murmured, cheeks blazing.

"Well yeah." Suddenly he's serious, and suddenly the warlock can feel the entire room cool down to his level. "I'm not going to be leaving you alone like this Artie. Not until you see why I fell in love with you, and why I continue to love you."

Arthur bites his lip, the words ringing off the walls in his head. "Alfred… .you can't fix what's already too broken to fix." He freezes rigid as he remembers those were some of the same words his father said. And they were some of the more tame ones.

"Yes, I can, " Alfred said. One of his hands grabs Arthur's, and Arthur's frown lines with worry as warm, big hands encase his own.

"Alfred…." Arthur murmured.

"You're not too broken. I'm not going to give up. Not on you, Artie. I want to do this, and nothing you can do can make me change my mind." Alfred said, a smile growing on his perfect face. "You may think you're lost, but I think you're so much better than that."

"H-How can you be so sure?" Arthur whispered, finding it so hard to believe a word of what he said. He wants to, oh so badly, but so much makes him wary, so much makes him fearful of this promise's demise.

"Cuz' I just have faith," Alfred said, grinning. "And I also love you. Like, a lot. I think the more I look at your green eyes, the more in love I get."

Arthur's face burns. "Y-You're just being dramatic," Arthur said, finding it hard to maintain eye contact while the prince says such things.

"Nah, This is fine. It's true anyway." Alfred leans closer. "Did anyone ever tell you how pretty those eyes of yours are?"

No. Not in years, anyway. He doesn't think he remembers. "I've been told they look like they could turn others to stone."

"With surprise about how pretty they are?" Alfred said.

"No," Arthur muttered. "My brothers thought they looked like Medusa's eyes." He winces inwardly. He hadn't even intentionally acknowledged he even had siblings since he'd taken up magic. He'd tried not to acknowledge his parents as well, but they'd left more of a mark.

But Alfred only smiles. "Well, snakes can look gorgeous too. This one, in particular, is magnificent."

Arthur blinks. Oh, gosh. Surely this isn't the work of someone who didn't know how broken the warlock was. _Yes, it was. Stop doubting it. He'll see what you do for a living sooner or later. He'll meet Oliver or someone sooner or later._ But he's met Francis ...exactly how much worse could anyone else be? **_You'll see. Don't be so sure._ **"Y-You're just saying things."

"No, it's true," Alfred said, placing his hand on Arthur's cheek. "I promise, I'll make you see it. I promise you'll understand exactly why I fell in love with you."

"Promise….?"

"Yes, of course. Now those, I don't break. You'll see." Alfred smiles. Arthur begins to wonder for a fleeting, exciting moment if Alfred is about to kiss his face now, but to his disappointment, he pulls back and yawns. Oh.

"Sorry. I yawn a lot when I'm tired." Alfred said. Arthur only nodded slowly, hiding his disappointment. Now that he'd calmed down now, it was getting easier to hide emotions, just like he used to. "We haven't talked about sleeping arrangements, have we?"

"N-No we haven't, sorry," Arthur mumbled.

"Stop apologizing for everything; it's fine," Alfred said, chuckling. "The Arthur I fell in love with never apologized for anything."

"You ... prefer that?" Arthur blurted, taken aback. Alfred liked it when he acted just like the freak he was taught to hate. _No, he doesn't. Stop getting your hopes up, you freak._

"I prefer you being just the way you are." Alfred corrected, smiling so brightly Arthur almost wanted to squint his eyes.

How can he just say things like that? It's because he isn't too far deep yet. Just wait. He'll learn. He swallowed. "Where would you prefer to sleep during your stay here?"

"Oh. Anywhere with a bed?" The prince guessed, shrugging.

Arthur sighed. With an attitude like that, it was no wonder he was always there to stop him in the past and not anyone else. "Don't you have any preferences?"

"Why would I?" Alfred asked.

"Because you're royalty. I wouldn't want this to be an unpleasant experience."

"Stop doing that," Alfred said, giving Arthur a half-smile. "I'm not some pampered little brat."

"So-" Arthur reminded himself he really should stop apologizing for everything. Right. You're better than this, you big lug. _Freak._ "Seriously? Would you rather I stuffed a blanket in a box and called it a night?"

"There's the Arthur I know," Alfred said, grinning. "I'd like to sleep in a real bed. With real bed stuff."

The warlock feels a swell of pride at making Alfred smile like that. He made Alfred smile… genuinely smile. It felt so good. When had he ever done that? When had he really done that, without trying to hurt the prince beforehand? Or being an absolute lost cause? "I could fix you up with a guest room, I suppose."

"I'm not leaving you alone." Alfred interrupted.

"What…?" Arthur said, eyes widening.

"All that's happened, and you expect me to be okay with just leaving you alone like that?" Alfred said. Arthur sat there, stunned. Was he really serious? He couldn't help but have a seriously horrible time believing every obligation the prince proposed.

"Alfred…." God, he can't do this. This is so new, so out-worldly, so hard to grasp. He'd spent years laying down plans, firmly believing the prince he had fallen in love with wouldn't like being in the same room as him for longer than he had to. "W-What do you think will happen? I spend five seconds alone and then self-implode?"

"I don't know, you witchy witch," Alfred said, and Arthur almost laughed, because that's what the prince's choice of vocabulary could do to people. "But, I still don't want you feeling even an ounce of loneliness when I'm around."

"You think I'm that bad then?" Arthur said, raising his brow.

"That's what heroes do, Artie. Consider every possibility. " Alfred said, with a grin they suggested he had just survived the plague. "Let me do this. I can only love you if you let me. You have to be willing to let me inside you. Let me help you, let me chase away the darkness."

Arthur's gaze met Alfred's, and he is almost caught off guard with the emotion shining in his endless sky blue orbs, how much, and Arthur felt certain, because he was no easy fool, how much love was there. _Who cares what you think? The second you start believing, he'll begin to prove what you've been fearing was true all along. **He won't stay long. No one does. Freak.**_

But the more he feared Alfred's every move, the more he pushes away his true love, the more he disappoints Alfred. He doesn't want to hurt him either. The warlock hesitates, his mouth slowly opening. He swallows down his fears and voices of that fear and looks the prince in the eye. "How can I trust you? H-How do I know you won't leave?"

"Arthur…." And Arthur lowers his eyes, expecting Alfred to say horrible things, be offended as he should be. Arthur was truly terrible, and he didn't deserve this man's good grace. "Nothing I can do right now can make you trust me. I won't force you too. All I can offer is my love and obligation, and ask that you trust me."

"You don't know what I've been through." Arthur plowed on. "What I've done. What I could be planning to do. You have no idea."

Alfred shook his head. "I can't leave you. I won't. I don't think you're not evil and stuff, but I know you're not what you think. I love you, and I'm not going to leave you. I will repeat that promise as many times as I need to."

Arthur hesitated. His mind was screaming, and it roared up a fire in his head, egging on an ache in his head. He sighed. "Many other people think they could've done the same."

"Arth-"

"My mother herself thought the same thing." Arthur cut in, his heart beating faster and faster with the more he reveals. God, he hadn't spoken of his mother since- _Stop opening up to him, freak. The more you reveal, the more he'll want to leave. Doesn't he understand that you're just like this mother of yours? Freakish and deceitful?_ No… his mother was a great woman. _No. Your father was right! Cursed and freakish the whole lot of you! **And Alfred will find out sooner or later! Just you-**_

"Hey? Arthur? Earth to Arthur?"

Arthur blinks to a hand waving itself in front of his face in some action to regain his attention. He resists the urge to slap it away and sighs. "S-Sorry."

"Welcome back." Alfred playfully. Arthur nodded, thankful he wasn't mad at the little progress he was making to not stressing out. "You alright?"

"Fine," Arthur muttered, but it was clear the prince wasn't buying it.

"S-Should I just sleep with you?"

"What?" Arthur said, dumbfounded. Sleep? Sleep with him? In the same bed…?! Wait! Or did he just- "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh! Crap! Not like that! I meant just actual sleep! That we- oh my God." Alfred sputtered rather adorably, starting to blush with the same colors as Arthur. "We could just sleep in the same room. In the same bed."

Arthur would smirk on any other occasion, but now, in his emotional frailty, he simply widened his eyes at how far Alfred wanted to go to prove his love. A knot began to blossom in his chest as he stared into Alfred's eyes, brilliant, bright emerald meeting endless blue. "You wish to sleep with me?"

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to. I can sleep on the floor if you want." Alfred said in an almost casual tone. "It just seemed like a good solution to our problem."

"N-No." Arthur murmured, the knot growing as he spoke, making his heart want to jump out of his mouth. "You can. If you really want to. I just…." He hesitates. "I'm not the easiest person to sleep around."

"You don't snore, do you?" Alfred asked, frowning childishly.

Arthur wished he could laugh at how naive he was being. _Freak._ "No, I-I have nightmares. I'm sorry but I-...It's…." Arthur recalls all the moments that cemented all kinds of dreams into his nightly routine and hesitated to speak again, trying to push those back down again. There's no need. He must be better than that.

"Hey, it's fine. I don't mind. We all have night terrors." Alfred said, his hand coming up to squeeze the warlock's shoulder. "I'll be right here with you no matter what. A promise is a promise. And I'll love you throughout all of it."

Arthur fought the urge to smile, but then why should he? Alfred's words sounded so genuine, comforting and real. Maybe this is real. Maybe Alfred really will never leave. But then again, he had so many reasons to. _Don't be so vulnerable, freak._ Just as his father would say. Why must that man always ruin things?

"Finish up your meal," Arthur said, a half-smile appearing on his face. "Afterward, I'll take you upstairs. You have your wish."

"Cool. Thanks. Like a lot. You should eat too, though. You haven't touched anything."

"Of course. Pass the butter, you forgot to add spice to half the load, you know."

_____________

"Nice room," Alfred said in awe, taking in the surroundings of Arthur's bedroom.

The bedroom's owner stood by the doorway, the sight of the one he cared about most in the world in his bedroom making him feel fearful and warm inside. He was never going to make sense of this.

He has to speak. _Manners, freak._ Actually, stopping being so scared sounded better right now, stupid voices. They ruin everything. Literally everything. "I hardly think you're all that enamored. You did grow up in a palace, after all."

"Well, yeah, but gosh, this is gorgeous," Alfred said, grinning as he took in the tasteful ceiling, highly detailed and grand looking. "You live like a king up here."

"Well, I once lived in poverty, and I learned to hate it. Let's just say I don't wish to be reminded of it." Arthur murmured, nervously walking closer, hoping he wasn't giving up an insurable amount of knowledge. He couldn't believe Alfred was here, in his bedroom. It wasn't some stupid dream or make-belief with Francis; he was really here.

"You're bed is like, way more comfortable than mine. Oh my god." Before Arthur could speak, Alfred had thrown himself onto the covers of his bed, acting just like the child hiding inside him.

"Comfortable?" Arthur asked cheekily, coming to a stop in front of his bed, across from where Alfred had playfully collapsed.

"Not yet," Alfred said, muffled by the covers squashed up in his face. Slowly he extends his arm towards the warlock, reaching out for him to take. Alfred raises his face, enough to meet Arthur's eyes. "Come and join me, Artie."

He suddenly wishes the nickname had been included in his fantasies. He doesn't know why, but now he wishes he let Francis call him things, or at least came up with it in his self-piloted daydreams. He anxiously takes Alfred's hand, quickly noticing the stark contrast between his pale skin and the prince's perfect tan. He decided then and there that he adores the sight of his hand taken by Alfred's hand. And now he never has to imagine it again.

He yelps in surprise as Alfred suddenly yanked his arm forward, causing him to lose his footing and fall face-first into the bed. He had only mere seconds to recover before Alfred pulled him forward again, into his arms.

"A-Alfred! Hey! That hurts!" Arthur protested, heart beating rapidly with warmth as Alfred enveloped him in his grip.

"Sorry," Alfred said, grinning almost madly as he became more gentle with Arthur, still wrapping him up but not pulling nearly as hard. "Comfortable?"

Arthur bit back yet enough smile. "Yes." He whispered.

"Stop hiding your smiles," Alfred said. "You don't think I can see that?"

Oh no. _Freak. Freak._ "I'm s-sorry, I just-"

"No more apologies. Tell me what's wrong."

Alfred looked pleadingly into Arthur's eyes, and Arthur felt an immediate scramble for what to do. He should tell him. He really should. He doesn't want to hurt him. _Don't tell him. Don't tell him. Do not, you freak! Do not tell-_ "I was afraid that….."

There was a pause. And then the prince's face morphed into one of concern and attempted understanding. _How could he ever understand-_ "Afraid?" He asked quietly, voice gentle.

"I apologize...but I confess, I'm afraid." Arthur took a breath, being careful not to shudder from all his mind and hopes and dreams feared. "I'm too scared to enjoy you being here. What if you leave…."

"I won't," Alfred said, squeezing Arthur's hand. It felt so warm. "How many times must I tell you that?"

"Quite a bit, I'd assume," Arthur said, sighing softly. He knows only that for certain. He knows that whatever Alfred thinks, whatever he wants, it's going to take Arthur very long to deliver. Even if Alfred does, by some unworldly miracle, stick around by the lone warlock's side, he will still fear the worst for a very long time. He couldn't shake what had been planted in his mind since childhood.

"It's alright. I promise everything will be alright." Alfred said, looking Arthur straight into the eye once again.

"You have no right to make such a promise," Arthur whispered, smiling ever so slightly.

"I don't care," Alfred said. "Hey, there's that smile. I love this smile." He was so close. Arthur suddenly wondered if he'd kiss him again. Not on the lips. Anywhere. Just again.

And suddenly, Alfred did. He leaned in and placed his lips on Arthur's. The warlock's eyes fluttered, warmth blossoming in his chest. It was like nothing he ever could've made up for himself. It was warm, and it was Alfred, and it was bliss. Arthur cautiously leaned into the kiss, savoring the moment, the taste, the feel, all of which he had previously thought he'd never get to receive. He tasted sweet, like chocolate, and a bit of his previous meal, and he could feel his lips moving against his own, Arthur hardly daring to breathe.

Alfred broke, his forehead coming against Arthur's to rest. His eyes opened. The two of them looked at each other. All of time seemed to stop. "Was that too much?" He asked quietly.

"N-No," Arthur said quickly, a little too quickly for his comfort. His face went redder than it already was. "I, sor- I mean… It was perfect. Not enough. Never enough."

"Good," Alfred said, smiling. "I love you. You don't have to say it back. I get it if you're too scared."

Arthur looked on, biting his lip. He felt horribly bad to not say that back. He'd wanted to say those three words to him for years, so many unbearable years. And now he could, and now he was scared, terrified like the filthy coward he was. He shouldn't, but then he feels like he really should. But what if this isn't real? What if he just leaves?

 _Stop being so stupid, **freak.**_ Hypocrite. He was so tired of being so scared of the one he loved, but he was, he feared, the only thing keeping the poor warlock together. He couldn't. He wanted to so badly. Why couldn't he? Why shouldn't he? Hadn't he suffered enough? _No. Not enough._ Oh bloody hell, he hated himself.

He opened his mouth, letting out an embarrassing, shaky breath. He could do it. He could do it. _Don't do it._ No. He should. What was left to hide? What will he hide from Alfred? He wants to. He should. He wants to. Maybe he'll finally take one step towards giving up fear.

"I-I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The door is always open for chatting and questions and requests and stuff. :) If you have anything to say or just wanna say hi, this Discord chat is always free.
> 
> https://discord.gg/zPdE9Qe  
> 
> 
> (This is how I invite you to socialize with me. Or don't. I don't care. Whatever. Have a nice day.)


	6. Gradually

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after. Arthur learns to slowly adjust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so I managed to get it done within the same month. That's good enough for me
> 
> Arthur still thinks some damaging thoughts in this chapter, buts it's not as bad as the last two chapters. Arthur's mental state is beginning to stabilize again to that of the first two chapters. So small warning, depression thoughts.

Alfred was woken up by Arthur.

Not on purpose. Alfred wouldn't have put up a fuss either way, given how it happened. He didn't think he quite believed Arthur having nightmares would be a thing that would be a problem with them sharing a bed. He was too occupied with thinking about the mere fact of him sharing a bed with Arthur to dwell on it too much.

He didn't realize he was awake for a minute. It's that state of peace where one's mind is disconnected from reality, unaware of the outside world. It was nice, and all Alfred wanted to do in this state was snuggle back up into the pillows. But then he heard whimpering. Well, that wasn't right. Did pillows whimper? What if Arthur's pillows could speak? That would be cool. Wait…

Alfred opened his eyes sleepily, realizing how utterly stupid and creepy a talking pillow would be. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness surrounding the room, his eyes focused on the sleeping figure in front of him. Alfred suddenly realized Arthur was the one whimpering.

Now much more awake, he slowly propped himself up on one elbow to get a better look. His heart fell immediately.

The man in front of him was clearly still asleep, but he must be trapped inside some kind of horrible nightmare. He squirmed and twitched, his face contorted in a distressed expression. He was muttering nonsense, none of it making one bit of sense to Alfred.

And then the noises got louder. Pitifully louder. It made Alfred's heart drop. Suddenly he couldn't take it anymore.

He sat up quickly, shaking Arthur awake with his arms. Why did he ever underestimate this??

The noises of distress stopped, and Alfred sighed with relief as Arthur frantically opened his eyes, only to meet Alfred's. He blinked, distress still on his face. "A-Al…?"

"Sorry. You were having a nightmare." Alfred whispered, smiling with guilt. "You didn't look so good, sweetheart. I just had to walk you up."

"Oh…" Arthur answered. He seemed calm now, but Alfred still worried like no tomorrow. Just how bad were these nightmares? Did this happen every night?

"You alright?" Alfred said gently, pressing his hand on Arthur's shoulder. He imagined what expanse of pale skin lay beneath his sleeves and smiled wider. "Do you want to talk about it?"

A moment of visible fear spread across Arthur's face, prompting the prince into panicking. "It's fine if you don't want to!" Alfred said quickly, chuckling nervously. He would never force Arthur. That was never what this was about. "It's just that, if you talk about it, it helps."

He didn't quite know if Arthur believed in that, but Alfred hoped it would work. He wanted to gain some level of understanding of Arthur. He already loved him so much, it just seemed natural to. It almost made him wonder how long he had admired the warlock without knowing it, given how far he was willing to go for him, given how much he already wanted to stay by his side forever.

To his surprise, Arthur actually spoke. "It was from my childhood. I was dreaming of the day that…" He trailed off, a look of trouble on his face. Alfred frowned.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Alfred reminded him, rubbing his shoulder. He slowly slid back down into the covers and encased the other in his arms, providing him with warm comfort. He got the feeling Arthur didn't get hugs that often. He'd made a self-commitment to hug the poor man as many times as possible. Maybe he'd hug the loneliness out of him, he didn't know.

But Arthur seemed to gather the courage to go on, much to Alfred's pride. "It was one of the nights when my father was drunk. He was horrible to me when he was like that." He murmured, and Alfred noticed all too quickly as Arthur's hands held on the shoulders so tightly it made Alfred only want to hug him more.

"Go on. Don't worry, I'm listening. I won't go anywhere." Alfred whispered into his ear, rubbing his back soothingly, doing anything to remind him that he didn't have to face all of this alone, that he had Alfred and he was never going anywhere.

"I was dreaming of one of those nights. He was ...beating me." Arthur finished quietly, the look on his face suggesting he no longer wanted to continue.

Alfred felt guilty making him talk about it. But then again, it was better this way right? Totally awesome bonding moment. "I'm sorry." He said gently.

"I-Its Fine. There's not anything you could do. It's in the past now. I haven't seen him in over ten years. It's fine." Arthur said, looking away from Alfred's gaze. The prince kept staring, admiring his new lover's eyes as he did. Even in the dark, they seemed to glow, bright emeralds, whose beauty was second to none.

"For the record, my stepfather's a total ass too," Alfred said casually, continuing his comforting gestures. Hey, might as well mention his own father. He'd probably accused several different people of being behind his "beloved" son's disappearance by now. He'd worry about this newfound info concerning Arthur later. Worry was not what Arthur needed right now.

"Really? How so?" Arthur asked, meeting Alfred's gaze. He loved it when he did that.

"He's basically just the definition of an ass. He's selfish and rude and a total snob. He's a control freak too. I can't do anything without his opinion getting in somewhere." Alfred said, going into a bit of a rant. After all, his stepfather was perfect rant material.

"Doesn't sound all too fun," Arthur remarked, and Alfred's world brightened as a small smile tugged on those pale, delicate lips. "You poor thing."

"You seem better now," Alfred commented.

"Really?" Arthur asked. His tone was confused, maybe even a little hopeful. Alfred smiled and gave a small nod.

"Yeah. I bet you're not like, totally emotionally stable but-" He grinned. "At least you're making sarcastic remarks and stuff."

Arthur hummed, in thought. Alfred had always wondered what was going on behind those green eyes. Now, more than ever, it was a mystery he longed to unravel. He knew what darkness may lay beneath, that Arthur, despite how tame he was towards the prince, was a man who had murdered innocents and tortured even more for his own gain.

Alfred did know this, but for right now? It wasn't important. Being reminded of his unlikeableness wasn't something the poor warlock needed right now. Even if he didn't agree with the said trait.

He felt tired again now. Aw, man. Sleep was inevitable. He bit his lip, worried about Arthur. If he were to go back to sleep, would he have another nightmare? Just how frequently did these night terrors visit Arthur? Perhaps if they just fell asleep like this, Arthur wouldn't be bothered, and he could sleep peacefully. Maybe he just needed to be reminded he had Alfred now, and that he wasn't alone. Not ever again.

"I'm going back to sleep now if you don't mind," Alfred whispered, laying more kisses on Arthur's forehead as he snuggled further into the mattress, pulling Arthur closer.

Arthur only made a noise of agreement. It didn't seem to bother him. Then again, this nightmare stuff was the norm. It was scary, to think something as terrible and depressing as that was just simply an everyday thing for Arthur. Well, Alfred wasn't, so maybe that'll help. Hopefully, it would. After all, that was Alfred's job right? To be Arthur's totally awesome hero.

He smiled as he heard Arthur snore slightly, apparently already drifting off into sleep.

One of the best heroes.

__________

Arthur had gotten over his fear of letting Alfred see his day to day life a little.

Little enough to have breakfast sent up to his room by a servant. It was nice, considering so many demons were willing enough to work and serve him like this just for a meal of their own, and Arthur was always glad to take advantage of it. Considering he had no idea what Alfred might like, he'd made sure they'd cook a little bit of everything.

God, past him would sneer at him if he could see him right now, preparing breakfast for royalty. Only Alfred could do this to him, huh? Only Alfred made him want to apologize. Only Alfred wanted to make him spoil the other rotten and be kind to him. He very rarely ever showed such behavior towards another of his kind, and even then, it was under bizarre circumstances.

Well, of course, past him would've never predicted he'd fall in love.

Once breakfast was brought up, he supposed he'd wake Alfred. Just thinking about sharing a table in his room, with Alfred, made his spine shiver with delight. He'd never guess actually doing the things he had fantasies about doing would have such enormous and embarrassing effects on him.

He leaned over the bed, observing the still asleep prince. Even now, he was still full of surprises. Alfred had turned out to be a really heavy sleeper. Arthur would bet if he just left him there, Alfred would sleep straight through the morning and onwards. What a spoiled brat he was sometimes, honestly.

Arthur felt a burst of fondness in his chest. He had the privilege of watching Alfred sleep. And it was a most pleasing sight. He was just downright adorable, his face peaceful as he snored, quiet but not so much that Arthur couldn't hear. Without a pair of glasses, Alfred looked younger, and his face looked almost softer, rounder. Alfred wanted to touch it. He wanted to…..well, he really should stop now. He was getting distracted. The breakfast will get cold.

He slowly extending a hand, opting to shake him awake as gently as possible. He did just that, watching with interest and just general amazement that he was even watching as Alfred began to groan in his sleep, his face contorting into an expression one would make when disrupted from a peaceful slumber.

"Alfred," Arthur said softly. "It's morning. Wake up. I've ordered us breakfast."

It was comical, when Arthur mentioned food, because then Alfred's eyes immediately opened, adjusting to light as they focused on Arthur.

"Good morning, beautiful." Alfred greeted, smiling tiredly. Arthur's cheek grew red. Alfred thought he was beautiful. Was he really ...? _No, you're not. Have you seen the size of your eyebrows?_ Never mind.

"There's breakfast on the table," Arthur said though he was half-considering taking the complement and saying thanks. His cheeks burned at the thought.

Alfred sat up, yawning adorably. His eyes landed on the food set on the table before them. All kinds of meat and eggs and cooked potatoes sat on neat plates, accompanied by a tray of tea and bowls of sugar and cream. "Woah. That looks delicious!"

"Good. I hope you're hungry then." Arthur said, watching as Alfred got up, clumsily putting his glasses back on, exhaustion quite clearly forgotten.

The meal was eaten in silence. Awkward silence, or least, at first it was. Arthur, for a while, only sat there and watched Alfred eat. He'd remember Alfred was here and lose his appetite. What if today, he made some horrible mistake? What if Alfred suddenly hated him? No, he couldn't do that. He couldn't see that, but it could happen. _Why wouldn't it?_ Wasn't it clear how unlikable he was? How undeserving of Alfred he was? Or maybe, was he really…..?

"Did you cook this? This is delicious." Alfred commented out of the blue, munching on the eggs. It'd seem he liked everything then. Arthur would keep a note of that.

"A servant of mine did," Arthur replied truthfully, looking away. The fact that he had just told Alfred that a demon had cooked their food intimidated him.

"Oh. Give him credit, this is good." Alfred said, smiling as he swallowed down a mouthful.

"I'll be sure to," Arthur said, but there was no way he was complimenting anyone. Not a demon. He'd sooner turn himself in to the throne rather than that.

"Cool. Quick question, what are we gonna do now?"

Arthur frowned. "Pardon?"

"I mean, what do you do in your spare time? What do you find fun? I kinda have no idea what you do on days like this when, you know, you're not terrorizing people and pissing off my family." Alfred shrugged. "So you know, what do you do?"

Arthur blinked. When had anyone ever asked him a question not related to villainy? Alfred was interested in what he did on his time off? When he wasn't actively planning evil and world domination? Oh god, he didn't know how to answer this. _How sad._ "I like to read."  
He answered quietly, lost on what else to say.

"Oh. Ooo, hey, do you study spell books like in those illustrations?" Alfred asked, drawn with sudden child-like curiosity. Arthur was taken aback by this, not expecting such a reaction. It made his heart run wild. Alfred was really that interested? Really?

"I don't know what you're talking about, but yes. That is a small portion of my job." Arthur answered, hiding his anxiety as well as he always did.

"These drawings are in books and stuff. They're mostly kinda offensive, but some of them are really cool to look at, you know?" Alfred smiled. "I don't really like reading though. Not unless there are pictures I guess."

"Yes…, Well, I didn't really read too often until I took up magic," Arthur replied casually, watching Alfred polish off what remained of his eggs as he tried his best to nibble on what he could. Despite how he barely tolerated his workforce, he couldn't deny that they did indeed know how to make a good meal.

"Why's that?"

Arthur paused, fighting back a wince at the memories that question brought pounding on his head. _Damm! Such an idiot! **You freak! Now what?!**_ He swallows down his food as he recalls hiding in a small, rundown village library, praying no one would find him amongst the old books. He'd even teach himself to read, just to find a reason to come back, just to find a reason to not be at home. There, he was never welcome, but at least books couldn't remind him how he was born a freak and would die as one.

He sighed. "Peasantry doesn't bode well for literacy skills." Arthur tries his best to crack a smirk, falling back on his old trick of replacing fear with sarcasm. "I doubt you would know that, you and your lot stuck up in a palace with a perfect education offered up on a silver platter."

Alfred snorted, chuckling at Arthur's little remark. "You cheeky tart. For your info, it's a lot harder than it looks!"

Arthur smirked wider. They were finally, just almost, slipping into the old banter before all this, just when they were both lying to one another, under the guise of a hero fighting a villain. Was this progress? Arthur could only wonder. It seemed hopeless to hope that he'd ever heal like this. "Oh really? Try me."

Alfred grinned. "Do you know how absolutely boring political lessons are? There are so many rules, and it's all so stupid!"

Arthur tried to imagine Alfred in one of those fancy little meetings, when nobles and royalty would sit amongst themselves, with a feast more expensive than nearly all of their kingdom's inhabiant's lifestyles combined. Yes, a person like Alfred wouldn't be all too happy there, now would he? "I imagine so." He remarked, smiling.

"Yeah, you're lucky, you have no reason to follow any of that crap. You do what you want." He sighed, smile still there. "My stepdad will arrest ya just for looking at him wrong."

Arthur suddenly remembers how his father would have a similar reaction, especially towards Arthur, sometimes coming with bruises that lasted days. He frowns. No, please don't think about that! _Not in front of Alfred! **Freak!**_ No! Everything's fine! Everything is fine.

"Arthur?"

Arthur pulled a smile. Yes. Everything is fine. Everything will be fine. "Sorry. Stomach cramp." _Bollocks_ , he hadn't had stomach cramps since his teens. There were spells for that. _Quick, change the subject._ "Pardon me for asking, but how are you royalty in your kingdom if you're not related to the royal family?"

"I am still the royal family," Alfred said shrugging. "My real mom and dad were royalty. My mother married my stepdad, who was also royalty. That makes me his heir, I guess. Dunno how he feels about that."

Arthur gave him a look. "Did he not try to have children of his own?" He asked.

"Well yeah, that's why he married again, but that wouldn't have changed that I'm the oldest, even if he did have children," Alfred said. He frowned. "I think it was luck though. He's a terrible father."

Arthur only nodded. The prince showed such open hate for his folks back home. Does that mean that if Arthur were to reveal he had murderous intentions for his parents, that he planned to take the throne and their kingdom and change everything, he wouldn't hate him? He wouldn't be totally angry, he wouldn't...leave?

 _No. It doesn't. It can't. Stop it. **Foolish freak.**_ Of course. He mustn't bring his hopes up. That was the game, even if the rules had been changed. He cannot risk anything. "What about your dear old mum then? What's she like?"

"Kinda the same, really," Alfred said, eyebrows dripping into an almost childish expression of resentment. "She's more snobby I guess. She cares about a lot of stupid things. Not much else to say."

"What? That's it? I hardly feel sorry for you." Arthur said sarcastically.

Alfred grinned and opened his mouth, ready to say something, but then something knocked on the door.

Arthur's mood dropped. Oh, damn. What could they possibly want? "Pardon, let me answer that," Arthur muttered, trying not to sound so disappointed that he was interrupted.

Alfred nodded as Arthur got up, walking to the door. If it were some demon or something, whatever, that wanted something, then he could deal with this swiftly.

He was met with a demon at his door. He'd forgotten his name, all he had cared to remember was how much he complained. About what, he didn't quite care. Why should he? "Yes? What do you want?"

He noticed then that he had a book in his hands. "I found what you needed. This book should have it." He answered, handing the old thing to him gingerly. He looked resentful of the book. "You're mental, you know that right?"

Arthur glared, taking the book from him and examining the cover. It looked like someone had tried to burn it. And had almost gotten away with it too. "Where did you get this? It looks like it came from the stake."

"The writer tried to burn it to ashes before I got to it." The demon said, gesturing to the burned pages and singed leather. "I got lucky, I'd say. According to intel, this is one of the few times the summon spells in there have been written down."

Suddenly something clicked. He looked up. No… it cannot be. Now? After all that's happened, this was the best time for reality to come crashing in, reminding him of just what he had planned? "You mean, this is it then? This book has instructions to summon…?"

"Wrath? Yes, master. That's it. I warn you though, he's not the nicest demon to reason with. He doesn't take to deals quite so easily."

Arthur scowled, looking up from the book. "I know full well what I'm getting into, thank you. Now, if that is all, then I'm afraid I'll bid good day to you.

He closed the door without the demon's answer, mind far away from it. This was it, he had it! He could summon Wrath, and everything would come into place! But there was only one problem.

What was he going to tell Alfred?

This was it. _No more hiding._ He was cornered. Alfred was going to find out his plans for death, for domination and new world order. He won't like it. _He'll leave. He most certainly will. Alfred will be disgusted. Why wouldn't he? **Just like we all knew he would. Freak!**_

"Arthur?" Alfred said. "What did he mean? What's that?"

The warlock looked like a rabbit caught in a predator's gaze. Oh no. He had heard. He had a clue. Oh no. No, god. Please no. He didn't want Alfred to hate him. _Hate him. **He will hate you.** They all do. Haven't you learned that by now? How many times must I tell you?_ He swallowed, praying that he wasn't losing composure on the outside like he was on the inside.

"Art? What's wrong? You're frozen rigid." Oh damn. He was! Now what?!

He met the prince's gaze, fear stabbing his heart in a way that left gaping wounds. He walked closer, back to the table, slowly but trying to keep calm. Alfred would understand, right? _No, he won't! You can't trust anyone, and **not you, you freak!**_ No. No. Keep calm. "I-Its a project I've been working on a lot lately. I believe you wouldn't of known about it."

"Cool. What is it?" Alfred asked curiously, already eyeing the book in Arthur's hands. Arthur bit his lip. Oh, Alfred, why must you always do this?

"I don't quite think cool is the right word." Arthur murmured. Breathe, Arthur. You'll be fine. You must stay calm. _But Alfred will leave! Watch him, you freak! Do you really think he wants to hang around with you any longer? **You should just go back to the hell you came from!**_ He gulped. "There are all kinds of bad…"

"Stuff?" Alfred finished, tilting his head. Oh god, Arthur wanted to puke. What was that crazy prince thinking? What was he thinking?! "Like, the evil stuff right?"

Arthur nodded, terrified of what Alfred might make of this. After all, this was how they met. Alfred was the good that defeated the bad. Simple, right? Surely he wouldn't- "Like what?"

Arthur's head shot up, not expecting such a reaction. He eyed Alfred, eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?"

"I wanna know. It's my business. I just made it so. Now tell me." Alfred smirked mischievously. "No more secrets, Mr. Doom And Gloom."

"Excuse me? What on earth did you just call me?" Arthur, appalled by this new nickname.

"Oh? Do you just prefer affectionate ones? Okay, but that's not the point right now, sweetheart." He leaned forward. "Now fill me in."

"I-I…." He swallowed. No. He wasn't going to lie to Alfred. He won't do it. "This book has instructions to commit all kinds of horrible things, and there's one, in particular, I wish to use."

He paused, waiting for Alfred to say something, but it seemed as if he said nothing, so he continued. "I want to summon Wrath. He's a powerful, deadly spirit that represents the sin."

"Why…?" Alfred asked quietly, and Arthur looked at the prince with a loss for words. Why? Why was he so calm? Didn't he have any idea what he just admitted? What crimes he confessed he wished to commit? What lives he owed?

"Because…." What does he tell him? What could he possibly say? Nothing. _Nothing can soften this._ This is all horrid. "I want to end humanity's terrible order and make a new one."

The room went quiet, and the warlock hesitated, wondering what must come next. This was it. He had told the truth. "I want to stop humanity's abuse of power and greed and make sure no one will have to suffer like I did, as millions did. This is the only way."

His mind went faster and faster, as Alfred kept silent. Why?? Why?? Arthur begins to panic, wondering if this is it. Had he gone too far? _Yes, you have! Can't you guess? **He's disgusted! You announced death! Death!** **And now, this is where you'll meet your end!**_ "A-Alfred, please don't be angry. Believe me, if I could've done this a different way, I would, but you have no idea what I've seen, what I've been through and-"

He flinched, almost squeaking in a pathetic way as Alfred suddenly got up. **_Fuck! Freak! You've messed up! Now look at what's happening! You fucking freak!_** "A-Alfred? W-What are you-"

He freezes as warm arms enclose around him. Alfred had taken him in on a warm embrace.

"A-Al ...?" Arthur whispered, unable to process such an outcome. The impossible had happened.

"It's okay. You don't have to explain yourself if you can't. Did you really think I didn't fall in love with the same old evil witch I always thought you were?" Alfred murmured in his ear, his breath warm and comforting.

Arthur only sat there, confused to hell and back. How could he just do this? "B-But, don't you realize what this means? This isn't going to be pretty if I do this. It's going to be-"

"I know," Alfred said quietly, his arms going tighter around Arthur's small form. "But that doesn't stop me from being here for you, for loving you. Everyone does bad things."

"B-But A-Al, you're so good. So g-good." Why is he so scared? So pathetic? No matter how hard he tries, he'd always end up like this, dead terrified and fumbling over his words. "You can't possibly think this is okay. Why won't you stop me?

"I don't think it's good, but I know it's important to you, and I can't understand why. But you have to understand that I knew you thought up things like this even before I fell in love with you. I'm the same person who stopped you from starving people and burning villages. Why did you forget that?"

"I-I ...I was just scared of what you might think. This is more than that. Thousands might die." Arthur said, gripping hard on the clothes Alfred had been wearing for the past few days. He smelled comforting, and it made Arthur feel so much better, being in his arms. He recalls how before all this, he'd lay in bed, arms wrapped up in pillows, imagining they were Alfred. It'll never compare to the real thing.

"I know. But it's alright. I get it. You're not normal. You're Arthur." He shifts, the warlock's face meeting his. "I still love you. I always will. Just because you're you, it won't change anything."

Arthur stared, green meeting blue, warmth pulling into his heart. What did he do to deserve this? Why was he so kind? And understanding? He had never experienced this, not ever. No one ever wanted to understand, to be so loving and forgiving. He shudders to think of what his family might think if they could see him now.

He almost didn't want Europe now. He had Alfred, but he supposed he couldn't think that. He didn't have Alfred, did he? But why was he all the sudden considering this? Isn't this what he always wanted? Why? Why was Alfred doing this to him?

"Thank you." Arthur murmured, he felt the corner of his mouth twitch as he Alfred's hands meet his own. "I don't know what I'd do without you…."

"Hey you know, you are talking to the future king," Alfred said, smiling widely. "I'm open ears about your ideas. Maybe we can do this together!"

Arthur snorted, the idea ridiculous when said in such a tone. However, he was grateful for the proposition. It meant they were discussing this topic on peaceful terms. He couldn't have wished for more.

"I'll keep that in mind." Arthur murmured, not fighting the smile that met his lips as he stared into Alfred's eyes, which he began to notice was coming infinitely closer and closer.

"Can I watch?" Alfred whispered, looking at Arthur back, smiling gently as his own, warm hands found Arthur's small and fair ones. "Would you mind if you know, I was there with you this time?" When you do this?

"W-Well….." Arthur began, but his mind was already screaming no. This was way too dangerous, way out of line! This could risk everything, and even more, he could be risking Alfred's life. Not by the summoning ritual itself, but what would summoning one of the most powerful dark beings in the world entail? It could go so horribly wrong. There was no way he could……

"Please, Arthur?" Alfred asked gently, one of his hands cupping the smaller one's chin. Arthur fought the will to flinch, worrying more and more of all the things that could go wrong, all ending with horrible things happening to Alfred, his beloved Alfred. He had no idea what could happen, what kind of person this demon might be, and what he might want or do. Anything could happen, and anything could happen to Alfred.

He would never forgive himself if this put Alfred in uncontrollable danger.

He met his prince's gaze once again. And then again, how could he dare say no to this precious creature, his beloved prince? He would never, and yet his request…"If you so wish. I just warn you, it won't be so awesome. This is really powerful and serious magic…"

"I know," Alfred reassured him, his forehead touching Arthur's. "I wouldn't have asked if I knew you'd be safe on your own."

He wants to tell Alfred to not think that, that Arthur had been doing evil and magic ever since he was twelve, and faced death in the eye, and was perfectly capable of handling these things on his own, but he felt his will of further argument when Alfred asked his next question. "Mind if I kiss you again....you know, harder?"

Arthur nodded at once, not even thinking about it. Of course, he wanted to snog Alfred, and he couldn't help but smile again as the prince's lips met his own, his whole world melting into bliss. He moaned quietly, as his hand tightened around Alfred's, the other finding his shoulders and grasping tightly.

This was Alfred, this was really Alfred, kissing him, his own, real lips pushing against his, hardly stopping for breath as they began biting on the warlock's bottom lip, asking for permission in his mouth. Arthur thoughtlessly opened his mouth, overwhelmed with pleasure and bliss, simply happy that this was happening, that he was kissing Alfred, that he was really doing it with consent, and this was no trick or magic, it was him.

He whimpered as Alfred's tongue began to enter his mouth, exploring its new territory. The wet organ met Arthur's, and he felt pleased as they began to dance in his mouth. He loved this. He loved every second of this. He loved Alfred, now more than ever. Maybe this was real, maybe he really will stay by his side, love him forever.

But one thing was for sure.

He wasn't letting Alfred anywhere near Wrath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super cool Discord chat thing where you can meet me and ask me questions or chat or anything like that. And also, you can ask me about writing and the progression of the chapters and updates and trivia too. This chat does come with benefits.
> 
> But I'm not forcing anyone anywhere. The floor is yours. 
> 
> https://discord.gg/zPdE9Qe

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration for what Arthur looks like is a cross between his Halloween counterpart and most Medieval villains.  
> 
> 
> This will sound silly, but I keep imagining Alfred in a Roman Sanders prince costume. I would say it suits him.


End file.
